#name one hero more synonymous with nyc

[ronalddweisshomeroofing]

Crafting Roofs, Building Trust: Unveiling the Legacy of Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC

Introduction:

In the dynamic tapestry of New York City's skyline, where architectural marvels reach for the heavens, there lies a hidden hero – your home. At the core of this urban refuge is the artistry of Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC. Journey with us to https://ronalddweisshomeroofing.com/about as we unravel the story behind this roofing titan and why it stands as a beacon of trust and excellence in the bustling heart of the Big Apple.

The Genesis of Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC:

A Legacy of Craftsmanship:

Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC is not just a company; it's a legacy. Established with a vision to redefine roofing craftsmanship, this entity has become synonymous with quality, precision, and a commitment to fortify the homes that grace the cityscape.

A Team of Experts:

Crafting roofs is an art, and at the helm of Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC is a team of seasoned experts. Their collective expertise spans a plethora of roofing materials and techniques, ensuring that every project is a testament to mastery in the craft.

The Pillars of Excellence:

1. Comprehensive Roofing Services:

From meticulous inspections that uncover hidden vulnerabilities to adept repairs and complete roof replacements, Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC offers a comprehensive suite of services. Whether addressing a minor leak or orchestrating a transformative roof overhaul, their proficiency guarantees unparalleled results.

2. Quality Materials for Enduring Protection:

Your home deserves the best, and Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC ensures this by meticulously sourcing top-tier roofing materials. These materials not only offer durability but also serve as an impervious shield against the city's unpredictable weather.

3. Meticulous Attention to Detail:

Roofing is an art of intricate detailing, and Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC takes pride in this precision. Each roof they work on is a manifestation of meticulous craftsmanship, a fusion of durability, functionality, and aesthetic appeal.

4. Transparent Communication:

Embarking on a roofing project can be daunting, but Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC understands this. They prioritize transparent communication, keeping homeowners informed at every step. This ensures clarity about the process, timeline, and associated costs.

The Human Touch:

1. Tailored Solutions for Every Home:

Recognizing the uniqueness of each home, Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC doesn’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions. Their approach is tailored to the individual needs of each homeowner, considering not only structural requirements but also aesthetic preferences.

2. Building Trust with Every Project:

Trust is the cornerstone of Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC. With each project, they go beyond crafting roofs; they build trust. This commitment has earned them a reputation as a trusted name in the roofing industry.

Explore the Legacy:

Your home's roof is more than a shelter; it's a symbol of protection and comfort. Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC invites you to explore the legacy behind every roof they craft. Visit https://ronalddweisshomeroofing.com/about to delve into the ethos, values, and craftsmanship that define this roofing authority.

Conclusion:

In the vast expanse of New York City, where architectural wonders abound, Ronald D. Weiss Home Roofing NYC stands tall as a guardian of homes. Beyond crafting roofs, they are architects of trust, building a legacy that transcends structures and embodies the essence of home.

[idk-bruh-20]

"The Big Five"

(This is still related to the MCU I promise!)

A friend recently explained to me about the "Big Five" of Africa - basically the continent's five most iconic animals - and how apparently tourists often get a little obsessive about making sure they manage to see all of them while traveling there. Which can, you know, sometimes lead to stupid and dangerous situations. Given that it's not always a great idea to actively seek out, for example, motherfucking lions.

Anyway, this got me thinking about tourists in MCU New York and how you just know there's a "Big Five" list of heroes. And now I literally cannot stop picturing tourists wandering around NYC hoping to catch glimpses of all five in order to get the "true New York experience," inevitably bumbling themselves into danger on accident in their misguided attempts to collect hero sightings like Pokémon cards.

An entire media ecosystem would develop around things like where to look for each of the five heroes, city tours of those areas, safety tips when witnessing supervillain fights, and the griping of native New Yorkers.

(A sample of common complaints:

"Do they have to clog up the sidewalks though"

"Folks when you see a big blue beam into space do not go towards it??? Follow the evacuation protocol???"

"I don't get the hype about the big five, there are so many cooler heroes that are less mainstream."

"^ plus lots of heroes more challenging to find! I literally see Spider-Man at least twice a week just sitting on the hotdog stand"

"Love the scared shuffle the tour groups do through Hell's Kitchen, and they never even see anything. Come back at night y'all.")

Not to mention, discourse about who should be included in the "Big Five" list would be brutal.

Consider these bonus, objectively hilarious scenarios:

Tourists getting saved by heroes and then being disappointed that their saviors are not part of the Big Five (This actually happens! Tourists in Africa will see the coolest wildlife ever and still be bummed if they didn't get to check off their big five boxes)

Many of the official Avengers would not be included in the Big Five lmao (We said iconic New York superheroes.)

The pettiness, salt, and general bitchery about this. Top tier.

Hawkeye: "What do you mean Daredevil is one of the Big Five and I'm not??"

"Is there an extended ranking or something? Where do I place?"

Does Ironman get to be on the list? Or does California get to claim him?

Peter Parker's face when he learns that Spider-Man is one of the least disputed heroes in the Big Five

[shirlleycoyle]

The Only Thing ‘The Simpsons’ Predicted Is Our Stupidity

If you’re on the internet, you’ve seen the articles. YouTube videos, bargain basement listicles, and social media profiles all ring out with the same refrain: The Simpsons predicted this. Donald Trump’s election, the COVID-19 pandemic, 9/11, murder hornets, and even the explosion in Beirut are all fodder for the shittiest parts of the internet’s favorite content mills.

After 30 years and almost 700 episodes, The Simpsons has become a source of prophecy. It is, of course, all bullshit. When The Simpsons have gotten the future right, it’s only because the show was a razor sharp satire of American life that imagined the worst possible outcome for comedic effect. The Simpsons obviously didn’t have a magical ability to see the future. It’s just that there’s so much of it, people on the internet can splice frames of it together to tell whatever story they want. If it did accidentally predict anything, it’s because our reality is now stupid enough to resemble a cartoon satire of American life.

Like all good satire, The Simpsons held up a mirror. Audiences were scandalized when it premiered in 1989 and they understood that they were part of the joke. But they laughed and kept laughing. Thirty years later, little has changed and many of those early The Simpsons episodes still hit.

Bill Oakley was a writer and a showrunner on The Simpsons during what some fans consider the show’s prime, roughly seasons four through nine. Oakley keeps up with the growing lists of purported predictions and even has them broken down by category.

“Category one, which occurs extremely rarely, is legitimate things we did predict,” he told Motherboard in a Zoom call. “Category two is stuff that just happened in history that people are unaware of because history repeats itself. They aren’t predictions of any sort. Three is just complete bullshit which is usually when somebody pastes two or more old scenes, usually from different shows, together.”

The theory that The Simpsons predicted the Beirut explosion is a typical category three.

“The Beirut one was particularly egregious,” Oakley said. “It was from two different shows and it in no way predicted the Beirut explosion, it just predicted an explosion.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Realest. (@toolazytowriteausername97) on Aug 5, 2020 at 4:04am PDT

Simpsons as prophecy has come in waves. The first real wave came after 9/11 when fans pointed out supposedly secret messages coded the first episode of season nine, “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson.” In a quick sight gag, Lisa holds up a magazine with a $9 fare to NYC. The $9 is next to Manhattan skyline and the Twin Towers.

But the articles about Simpsons predictions really took off when America elected Donald Trump the President of the United States. In a 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” Lisa is President and she references the budget crunch she inherited from President Trump.

According to Oakley, this is the only category one prediction he credits.

“‘Always predict the worst, and you'll be hailed as a prophet,’” Oakley said, quoting his comedy hero musical satirist and math genius Tom Lehrer. “Back then, it played as a joke because people were like, ‘Oh, that’s preposterous.’ As [writer Dan Greaney] has said in the past, the reason he picked Trump is that it seemed like the logical last step before hitting rock bottom.”

And here we are at rock bottom.

According to Chris Turner, a journalist and author of Planet Simpson, an academic deep dive into The Simpsons satire and impact on pop culture, one of the reasons The Simpsons has become a source of prophecy is that it’s popular and there’s a lot of it. It’s the same with Nostradamus. The French prophet wrote a book of poetry called Les Prophéties where he vaguely predicted the near future and commented on current events. There’s so much of it and it’s so vague that Nostradamus’ name has become synonymous with prophecy. Every decade, people find new ways to explain how his work predicted their present.

“You have a show that’s been such an institution in western culture for the last 30 years now that it takes on an aspect of parables or Bible stories,” Turner said. “They are these stories that people just come back to again and again and again for new interpretations and new meanings. In the age of gifs and memes, there’s a ton of stuff there to be mined.”

“With almost 700 episodes, there’s an infinite amount of material to choose from,” Oakley said. “There’s probably nothing that you couldn’t say The Simpsons predicted.”

According to Turner, The Simpsons has always had two lives in pop culture. The first is as “this incredibly deep satire that calls out American culture on its excesses,” he said. “But there’s also always been a superficial layer.” The Simpsons was a huge success when it started airing in 1989. It was always a smart show, but it made headlines back then because it was also a crude show.

It may seem ridiculous now, but a 10-year-old boy telling his principal to “eat my shorts” struck some viewers as insidious and disgusting. In a People magazine interview, First Lady Barbara Bush said The Simpsons was the dumbest thing she’d ever seen. “If you weren’t an aficionado during the first four or five years, that was your understanding of the show,” Turner said. “It’s that show with the foul mouthed characters and the boy is unruly.” Turner said that the idea that The Simpsons can predict anything is drawn from this surface understanding of the show.

I loved watching The Simpsons as a kid, and I love rewatching it as an adult. What strikes me most about the show is not the hardline predictions it made, but how it’s dark satire of American culture still holds up. So many of the problems it identified are still problems today.

When Stampy the elephant rampaged through Springfield, he went through the GOP and Democratic conventions. “We want what’s worse for everyone, we’re just plain evil,” the signs in the GOP convention read while people cheer. “We hate life and ourselves, we can’t govern!” The democrat signs read while people boo. When the people of Springfield are faced with a choice between voting for two monstrous aliens, they still can’t break out of the two party system. “Don’t blame me, I voted for Kodos,” Homer said as a whip cracked into his back.

“The Simpsons is one of a number of examples of the limits of satire,” Turner said. “There’s a tendency to think that by pointing out how ridiculous a thing is, it will somehow fix it. A more extreme version of this is John Stewart and Stephen Colbet’s Rally to Restore Sanity.”

Using The Simpsons as divination is also fun. It helps people make sense of a chaotic world. It functions in the same way a good conspiracy does—picking through the tangled mess of modern life and putting it in order. Qanon isn’t that different. The people who follow Q do their “research” and sort through cultural detritus, images, news stories, and half remembered anecdotes to build a narrative that helps them make sense of the world. It’s funny, but it’s also disturbing that humans can connect the dots of disparate pieces to tell whatever story they want. The Simpsons is just a more visible, and more benign, version of this kind of thinking.

If The Simpsons was ever a warning or prophecy, it was a warning about trusting authority.

“There’s a certain segment of society, a very small segment, that read Mad Magazine or watched The Simpsons and got a point of view and developed a skepticism of what authority figures might say,” Oakley said. “There’s 80 percent who didn’t, never gave a shit, and didn’t pay attention to anything. And those people vote and now I’d say we’re paying the price.”

The Only Thing ‘The Simpsons’ Predicted Is Our Stupidity syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[topbeautifulwomens]

#Carmine #Appice #Biography #Photos #Wallpapers #babesofinstagram #fashionaddict #flowers #funnymemes #positive #scoutme #shooting #stylish #summer #toptags

A talented, flamboyant and well traveled Native New Yorker, Carmine Appice has quite a musical resume to his credit.

Born in Staten Island, New York, on December 17th 1946, Carmine is brother to another famous drummer, Vinny Cappice.

While growing up Carmine would visit with his cousin who was a keen drummer and he would play with his drum kit just for fun. Before reaching his teens his interest became much more serious and he took lessons in Brooklyn, New York, along with his brother Vinny who also started playing drums at the age of nine.

Appice was heavily influenced by the jazz drumming of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa, which set him on the road to drummer stardom, combined with his extensive classical training.

At the young age of sixteen Vinny had the substantial pleasure of meeting John Lennon at Record Plant Studios in NYC. While at the studio John asked Vinny and his band, BOMF, if they would perform the hand clapping on the track he was recording with Elton John, “What ever becomes you through the night”. After that, Carmineâ€s brother played on a few projects with John and also appeared on three videos with John. Carmine, however, never met John Lennon or The Beatles as a group, but later in life he would meet up with George Harrison and Paul McCartney who expressed their appreciation of Carmineâ€s groups version of The Beatleâ€s Eleanor Rigby.

From there Vinny played on a few projects that Lennon was producing at the time. Vinny also appeared in 3 videos with John.Carmineâ€s Career as a world renowned drummer has bought him in contact with many of the music worldâ€s greatest performers such as Ozzy Osbourne, with whom he appeared on “Bark at the Moon” video and with Ted Nugent of Pink Floyd on “A momentary Lapse of Reason”. In 1991 he was immortalized by his induction into the Hollywood Rock Walk, his handprints and signature sit side by side with his idols Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. In a recent commemorative book, The Hollywood Rock Walk, a entire page was dedicated to Carmine, next to a page on superstar James Brown.

It was in 1966 when he formed his first group with his friend Tom Bogart, Vanilla Fudge. They went on to have a gold selling album, entitled “Vanilla Fudge”. It truly is widely believed that they actually recorded Stevie Wonderâ€s “Superstition” before Wonder himself, the single was first released by Wonder instead, making it appear as though Vanilla Fudge had released a cover version.

After Vanilla Fudge Carmine and Tom went on to form the band Cactus, a group that has been a big influence on both Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen. This union with Bogert evolved into an alliance with Grammy-winning guitar hero, Jeff Beck.

One of the highlights of Carmineâ€s musical career came in the 70â€s and 80â€s when he was invited to join Rod Stewartâ€s band after Rod had interviewed at least another forty drummers without success. It was during that period that Carmine located another talent as a writer. He co-wrote the song that has since become synonymous with Stewart, and which went to number one around the world in 1978. The single was, “Do ya†think Iâ€m Sexy”. The next hit he penned for Stewart was, “Young Turks” in 1981.

After gaining recognition as one of the premier showmen in rock, with his meticulous timekeeping skills, his showmanship, which includes stick tosses and twirls, power fills, and double-bass drum bombs, he became known worldwide for his astonishing live performances. In addition he become a highly sought-after session drummer and after a rewarding period with Rod Stewart, Carmine left to pursue his own projects. His first solo album “Rockers”, was followed by tours of the U.S. and Japan.

Next Carmine led the high-calories band King Kobra, recording two albums and touring internationally. 2007 is the 40th year of the career of Carmine Appiceâ€s career as a legendary drummer and he still influences and inspires drummers throughout the world with his originality and a flavor he first termed “psychedelic symphonic rock”.

Carmineâ€s career has not been solely as a performer. He has, and continues to hold “clinics” throughout the world in far flung countries such as Argentina, New Zealand, France, Tokyo and many more. His clinics and master classes continue to break attendance records at venues in each country.

Carmineâ€s entire career has been devoted to being a teacher, a writer and performer of the drums. Along with writing music Appice has also written one of the top selling books of all time on drumming, “Realistic Rock” which has sold in excess of 300,00 copies and has now been released on video and an accompanying CD.

Now a days Carmine lives in New York City along with his girlfriend, radio personality, Leslie Gold, better known on the Internet for her daily radio pod cast.

Name Carmine Appice Height Naionality United States Date of Birth December 15, 1946 Place of Birth Brooklyn, New York, United States Famous for

The post Carmine Appice Biography Photos Wallpapers appeared first on Beautiful Women.

source http://topbeautifulwomen.com/carmine-appice-biography-photos-wallpapers/

[itsjaybullme]

Sylvester Stallone's Meteoric Rise to Action Star Icon

1 of 17

The Ultimate Underdog

Jason LaVeris / Contributor / Getty

Fifty-five and counting. That’s the number of films in which Sylvester “Sly” Stallone has appeared throughout his illustrious cinematic career. And there’s no sign he’s slowing down after four decades on the big screen. His newest film, Escape Plan 2, a sequel to the 2013 action thriller Escape Plan is due to premier in 2018.

A 40-plus-year career is impressive in its own right, but even more so in Stallone’s case. Much like Rocky Balboa, the character he created in his breakout 1976 film Rocky, Stallone has defied the odds, rising from obscurity to becoming one of the world’s biggest movie stars and box office draws.

But Stallone’s credentials extend beyond his screen presence. He’s not only a director, producer, and screenwriter (he wrote the script for Rocky in three days), but also a painter, novelist, art collector, and business entrepreneur.

However, it's Sly's body of work on film that has made him so adored and admired by countless fans across the globe. Here are just a few of the memorable movies Stallone has starred in throughout his illustrious career.

2 of 17

The Lords of Flatbush: 1974

Archive Photos / Stringer / Getty

Stallone teamed up with the little-known Henry Winkler in the 1974 film The Lords of Flatbush, playing the role of a young tough involved in a street gang called the Lords. Who knew then that within the next two years both Winkler and Stallone would shoot to stardom, Winkler for his role as “The Fonz” on the hit TV show Happy Days, and Stallone, of course, as the working man’s hero in Rocky. It was at this time that he married his first wife, Sasha Czak.

3 of 17

Rocky: 1976

John Springer Collection / Contributor / Getty

Stallone’s break out year—the year he achieved worldwide fame for playing the part of underdog boxer Rocky Balboa in the blockbuster hit Rocky. Not only did he star in it, he wrote the entire script in only three days. To date, Rocky has grossed $1.4 billion dollars worldwide, and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Actor for Stallone while the movie took home the Oscars for Best Movie, Best Director, and Best Editing.

Pretty impressive for a movie that almost never happened. The United Artists movie studio balked at Stallone’s insistence that he star in the movie, because at the time he was an unknown in the entertainment industry. But the film’s producers worked out an agreement with the studio, and Stallone got the lead role, and the rest is cinematic history.

4 of 17

Paradise Alley: 1978

Michael Ochs Archives / Handout / Getty

On the heels of Rocky’s success, Stallone made his directorial debut with the 1978 sports-drama Paradise Alley—about three brothers who enter the world of wrestling in 1940’s New York. Though released two years after Rocky, Stallone wrote the story as a novel, and then a screenplay before he wrote Rocky.

5 of 17

Rocky II: 1979

John Springer Collection / Contributor / Getty

It was inevitable. With the smash success of Rocky, it was only a matter of time for a sequel to hit the big screen. Rocky II not only starred Stallone but he wrote and directed the film, which grossed more than $200 million dollars. In a classic example of art imitating life, recently retired ESPN sportscaster Brent Musberger played the role of boxing ring commentator.

That same year, Stallone became the father of a second son, Sergeoh, who was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. To bring awareness to this condition, Stallone has raised about $1 million dollars to support the National Society for the Children with Autism.

6 of 17

Nighthawks: 1981

Sunset Boulevard / Contributor / Getty

Stallone is Deke DaSilva, a New York City police officer assigned to tracking and taking down an international terrorist played by Rutger Hauer in the cop thriller Nighthawks. Noted not only for its extensive use of New York City streets and landmarks, and memorable highjack scene, Nighthawks marks the first (but not last) film in which Stallone plays a cop. As for the movie's title, it's a reference to the NYC Crime Unit cops who patrol the city overnight.

7 of 17

First Blood: 1982

Sunset Boulevard / Contributor / Getty

Stallone was on a roll. On the backs of its two predecessors, Rocky III hit theatres in May and went on to surpass the box office receipts of Rocky II, raking in a whopping $270 million dollars worldwide. But Stallone wasn’t done. October introduced John J. Rambo to movie goers, a former Vietnam veteran fighting for his survival, in the blockbuster hit First Blood, based on the novel by David Morell.

Playing the role of Rambo, Stallone went on to reprise the character in two sequels that have since become cult classics. And the name Rambo? Hard to believe that a character so synonymous with raw, brute power is actually named after a variety of the humble apple.

8 of 17

Rhinestone: 1984

20th Century Fox / Handout / Getty

Stallone the comic? Strange but true. Eager to showcase his comedic talents, Stallone starred alongside Dolly Parton in the 1984 comedy Rhinestone, in which he plays an unpleasant New York cab driver who is selected to be groomed (by Parton) as a down-home country music singer. Drubbed by the critics, Stallone himself admitted in an interview that if there were any movies he wished he hadn’t done, this would be one of them.

9 of 17

Rambo: First Blood II: 1985

Columbia TriStar / Handout / Getty

Another busy year for Sly, on and off the screen. The legacy of Rocky and Rambo continued in 1985 with the release of Rocky IV and Rambo: First Blood Part II. The same year, he married his second wife, model and actress Brigitte Nielsen.

10 of 17

Rocky V: 1990

United Artists / Handout / Getty

Rocky V debuts, and while it was met with mediocre sales and reviews, it was significant for the acting debut of his 14-year-old real-life son, Sage, who played Rocky Balboa Jr.—his on-screen son. Sage Stallone went on to become a filmmaker in his own right, before he died suddenly of heart disease in 2012.

11 of 17

Cliffhanger: 1993

Archive Photos / Stringer / Getty

After taking a couple more unsuccessful stabs at comedic roles in the early '90s, Stallone makes his cinematic comeback doing what he does best, playing tough-guy action heroes, like the one in Cliffhanger. As Gabe Walker, an experienced mountain climber, Stallone goes back to the scene of his previously botched rescue attempt to save another group of climbers only to become entangled with a band of criminals who’ve hijacked a U.S. Treasury plane.

12 of 17

Antz: 1998

Getty Images / Handout / Getty

With so many hits already under his belt, where does the action hero icon go next to showcase his talents? How about a voice-over role in the hugely successful computer-animated adventure-comedy film, Antz? Joining a star-studded Hollywood cast, Stallone’s vocal characterization of working-stiff ant Weaver, helps catapult the insect flick to silver screen success, scoring $171 million at the box office. 

13 of 17

Rocky Balboa: 2006

Ethan Miller / Staff / Getty

Thirty years after Rocky hit the screen, and three years after a hiatus from filmmaking, Stallone roars back with Rocky Balboa, the sixth chapter of his Rocky series. The show was a hit both with the critics and his fans, pulling in $155 million in worldwide ticket sales, and exceeding studio expectations. Stallone said the film mirrored his own struggles and successes over the last few years. “Things really started to slow down for me about 10 years ago,” he said. “That is why I wanted to write this film.”

14 of 17

The Expendables: 2010

Philip Ramey Photography, LLC / / Getty

$34,825,135. The highest opening-weekend box office receipt in Stallone’s career. That’s the smash success story of Stallone’s newest franchise, The Expendables. Paying tribute to the action thrillers of the '80s and '90s, and bringing together some of the biggest action stars in Hollywood, The Expendables follows a group of elite mercenaries hell bent on overthrowing a Latin American dictator, whom they later realize is the puppet of a CIA operative. With staggering worldwide ticket sales of $274 million, it was a no-brainer that two more sequels would follow.

15 of 17

Expendables 2 & 3: 2012-2014

Kevin Winter / Staff / Getty

Reuniting the cast of the original blockbuster, Expendables 2 continues to follow the deadly tracks of a band of mercenaries as they undertake a new mission which ultimately turns into a battle with a rival mercenary threatening world destruction. Grossing sales of $310 million worldwide, the movie is followed by a third sequel, Expendables 3 in 2014.

16 of 17

Creed: 2015

Bobby Bank / Contributor / Getty

Nov. 25, 2015, the 40th anniversary of the 1976 release of the original Rocky, marked the premier of Creed—the seventh installment of the Rocky franchise. For his role as the trainer of the son of his old boxing rival, Apollo, Stallone received widespread praise by critics, and the film garnered Stallone a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and a third Academy Award nomination, this time as Best Supporting Actor, his first Oscar nod since the original Rocky.

17 of 17

Creed 2: 2018

PATRIK STOLLARZ / Staff / Getty

“Looking forward to directing and Producing The incredibly talented Michael B Jordan in CREED 2 next year. "One more round,”" states Stallone on his Instagram account. And as a throwback to his earlier Rocky films, the multi-talented actor with the muscular physique will be directing this one himself.

Previous Next

from Bodybuilding Feed https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/sylvester-stallones-meteoric-rise-action-star-icon via http://www.rssmix.com/

[keneerike]

LeBron James: The Hero We Need (But Not The One We Deserve)

June is here and a squad led by LeBron James is still in the hunt for the NBA Championship. 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Check out this graphic:

LeBron has won more playoff games than any player or TEAM in the NBA over the last few years. The guy's made seven straight NBA Finals---an unrivaled accomplishment in the modern era. 

To those who would counter with "Bill Russell won eleven rings in thirteen years", save it. The level of competition wasn't the same in those days and the lack of free agency made it easier for teams to stockpile talent for years on end.

Just getting to a championship series is a feat in itself, one which many fans are too quick to dismiss. The gym work, perseverance through injury, and production no matter who he's surrounded by are a testament to James’ desire to win.

The Buffalo Bills of the early 90′s are a good parallel here. You don’t just roll out of bed and get to the Super Bowl four years in a row. It takes dedication, great scouting, and sustained excellence. A loss in the title game does not a loser make, no matter how it’s spun in the media.

The Buffalo Bills: Underappreciated Kingpins or Choke Artists?

Not going to bore you with the x's and o's on LeBron. Dude is bigger, stronger, and more skilled than his counterparts. His basketball intelligence is otherworldly and his willingness to share the ball is why star free agents and aging ring-chasers flock to play with him.

His commitment to all phases of the game is readily-apparent in his physical conditioning and uncanny recall of opponent tendencies. Fourteen years in to his professional career, he remains a superlative defender.

Exhibit A: 2016 NBA Finals Game 7 Heroics

James' defense is a big reason I could never get behind the media's anointing of Stephen Curry as the league's best player in 2015. Many fans and commentators make this mistake, ignoring this side of the ball because it doesn't occupy a prominent place on the box score.

We're infatuated with flashier elements of the game that have a dubious impact on winning and losing.

Even as a hall of famer, Dennis Rodman never gets the credit he deserves. An elite athlete among elite athletes, The Worm could defend every position on the floor with aplomb. Because he never put up big scoring numbers, his name will never be mentioned among the greats.

That's a shame, really. And, ironic, given how many fans fancy themselves expert analysts. The beauty of Rodman's "dirty work" is missed by all but the most astute students of game. Rebounds that lead to extra possessions for your team and reduced scoring efficiency for the opponent's best scorers---they don't get you a shoe deal, but they put wins on the ledger.

Anyone who has ever picked up a basketball will tell you there are few experiences more infuriating than playing with a teammate who cannot--or will not--play defense. They're often the same guys who love to hoist bad jumpers and show off moves they stole from an old And1 mixtape.

That's a ‘carry’, bro.

There's a reason why Kobe and Carmelo had trouble luring free agents to play with them, despite having glamour locales like NYC and Los Angeles as their backdrops. What big-time player wants to join a team with a ball-dominant player not known for distributing the rock? Your stats are going to drop---which could impact your next contract--and the game isn't as fun.

"Just stand over there and don't get in my way."

Which brings us back to LeBron....

If his on-court accomplishments weren't enough to refute any naysayers, the fact that he brought a major sports title to the city of Cleveland--a city synonymous with sports ineptitude--seals the deal.  Cleveland fans, the same folks that once savaged him for exercising the same freedoms they take for granted, are witnesses to the once-in-a-lifetime tour de force that is LeBron James.

Not to single out Cleveland for their behavior, since many self-centered sports fans around the country would have done the same. They just need to be called out for the way they treated James his first go-round.

For the first seven years of LeBron’s career, Clevelanders got an up-close-and-personal seat to one of the most entertaining shows of all time. Through no virtue of their own, either---they just happened to win the draft lottery the year he was available. Absent that stroke of luck, The Cleveland Cavs probably suffer through another wasted decade in the 2000′s, piling up one forgettable season after another.

LeBron hits the scene in 2003, gives them seven years of lights-out basketball, and Cleveland has the nerve to curse the guy when he decides it’s time to chase his own dream of sports immortality.

Stay classy, Cleveland.

He's the hero [Cleveland] needed, but not the one they deserve.

"It's not THAT he left, it's HOW he did it" and other mating calls of irrational sports fans....that gets me going. All the hypocrisy and simplistic finger-wagging surrounding LeBron James’ decision to leave Cleveland in 2010 was one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place.

In a league where winning titles trumps all, critics haven't been able to halt his ascendance. Potshots at his character and specious narratives fueled by revisionist history are the canaries in the coal mine: detractors are running out of material to deny LeBron his place on basketball's Mount Rushmore.

The fact that the most knee-jerk reaction to put 'bron in his place is to compare him to Jordan tells you all you need to know about how special he is.

Don't envy winners. Emulate them. 

LeBron's career arc is a modern day success story. A guy from humble beginnings who rose to dizzying heights despite the general incompetence around him.

Eleven times James has taken home All-NBA First Team honors, tied for most in league history, and he should have the stage to himself by this time next year. He's a no-doubt top-five player of all time and many more basketball heads than are willing to admit publicly would choose him over Michael Jordan if they were starting a team from scratch.

LeBron is going to get his chance to further cement his legacy as a once-in-a-lifetime player when he leads his squad against the four-headed juggernaut that is the Golden State Warriors.

One final challenge remains.

Durant, Curry, Green, and Thompson: That's an all-star lineup packed in to one squad. Throw in Andre Iguodala, Livingston, and an unfairly-maligned Javale McGee and you've got a team with few discernible weakness. LeBron's got his own reinforcements, but we know who is going to be doing the heavy lifting if Cleveland's going to repeat.

James is head-and-shoulders above any one of Golden State’s four horsemen, but can he find a way to defeat their combined might?

A preview of this year’s finals?

The series fans have been waiting for since last summer is finally here.