0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on April 24, 2013 at 9:04 pm
“Pain & Gain” Director Michael Bay has caught quite a bit of flack from wrestling fans over comments that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson needs to “grow up and stop wrestling 300 pound men.” Bay responded to the criticism on his website by saying:
“Wrestling fans, it was a joke said on Entertainment Tonight–with a laugh. You can see the clip for yourselves. The most important person to see the on-air joke was Dwayne. I love seeing The Rock wrestle. I hope he wrestles 10 more years. I joked on air because Dwayne was not at our LA premiere due to his injury.”
0Posted by Jim Williams on March 27, 2013 at 8:07 pm
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a guest appearance on Wednesday’s “Live! with Kelly & Michael” and among other things talked about his match against John Cena at WrestleMania with Michael Strahan and guest host Vanessa Williams. You can see an excerpt from the show below.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on February 5, 2013 at 1:29 pm
WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson talked with TBO.com about his son – WWE Champion The Rock. Johnson commented on The Rock not being labeled by his ethnicity:
“No one ever talks about the color of Dwayne’s skin. That is what makes what I did so important to me. I like to think I proved a wrestler’s skin color doesn’t matter. I’m glad my son doesn’t have to be labeled black or Samoan or mixed. He has instead been labeled as the best.”
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on October 19, 2012 at 6:21 pm
Men’s Health has ranked The Rock #46 on their list of The 100 Fittest Men of All-Time. They wrote:
“It’s hard to believe Dwyane Johnson almost never became The Rock. And the irony is that it was his failure in one arena—literally—that led to his success in another. Johnson was on a full scholarship at the University of Miami, suiting up with Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp. When a back injury sidelined his career for good—even the CFL couldn’t find a place for him—he turned to pro wrestling. Unbelievably, that required trimming down—going from 280 to 260 pounds. Under his new persona, The Rock, Johnson quickly became a fan favorite—and it wasn’t long before Hollywood saw his potential as a bankable star. And so for his role in The Mummy Returns, The Rock slimmed down yet again, shedding another 15 pounds in 4 months using a high-intensity resistance-training program.”
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on September 5, 2012 at 3:55 pm
TNT released the following press release.
TNT Greenlights Dwayne Johnson’s The Hero, New Action-Packed Competition Series Headlined by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Produced by Ben Silverman’s Electus
High-Impact Series Showcasing Ordinary People in Extraordinary Situations, With Viewers Casting Votes for the Ultimate Hero
TNT has given the greenlight to The Hero (working title), a new reality-competition series that will set out to find the next great hero. TNT has ordered eight episodes of the series from Ben Silverman’s multim edia entertainment studio Electus and its 5×5 Media exclusive producers. The Hero will be headlined by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who will executive-produce with his producing partner, Dany Garcia. The series is set to premiere on TNT in summer 2013.
The Hero will bring 10 ordinary people together in a house and then assign them various missions that will test their brains, their brawn and even their morality. The show will challenge the competitors to prove they’ve got what it takes to be heroes, pushing them to the limits to see what they are willing (and able) to overcome, undergo or sacrifice for the sake of their fellow contestants.
Johnson will serve as The Hero’s mentor and motivator, encouraging the contestants to reach far beyond their personal limits. In the end, one player will rise above the others, overcoming obstacles he/she never thought possible in order to become a true hero.
In a unique twist on the reality-competition format, The Hero will incorporate social media into every facet of the show, from pre-production and casting to on-location shooting and live broadcasts. Through the show’s interactive digital platform, viewers will be able to vote each week for the contestant they consider to be the most heroic. The series will also leverage the power of Johnson’s enormous social-media following, which includes more than 10 million fans through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
“Dany and I couldn’t be more excited to enter into our first official foray in TV production,” said Dwayne Johnson. “The Hero speaks to everything I believe in when it comes to challenging ourselves, to becoming better people every day and to making the right choices while growing from the wrong ones. Bridging the digital and physical world on the small screen in a way that’s never been done before will enable fans to use social media and on-screen decision making to determine the fate of the show’s contestants, and our goal is to make each TV moment impactful and exciting.”
“The Hero is a great fit for TNT’s drama fans, whether they enjoy stories with a lot of action, suspense and danger, or stories that offer inspiration through the heroic actions of everyday people,” said Michael Wright, President, Head of Programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We’re also very excited about the extensive social-media aspect of The Hero, which will engage viewers on an entirely new level and develop a strong emotional investment in the competitors and challenges.”
“The Rock is the embodim ent of The Hero and an inspirational superstar with an unwavering moral compass,” said Ben Silverman, Founder and Chairman of Electus. “The Hero will deliver on his brand as an incredible action-filled series that test the limits of real people in extraordinary circumstances while also activating the Rock and Turner’s audience with seamless digital and social media tie-ins. TNT is the ideal platform partner, with incredible characters and heroes from the worlds of fiction and sports, as well as a unique capacity to deliver an enthusiastic audience of drama fans.”
Johnson has become a worldwide entertainment brand with a multi-hyphenate global reach as a successful actor, sports entertainer, social media maven, film and now, television producer. Johnson’s upcoming film credits include G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Pain & Gain, Empire State and The Fast and The Furious 6, with past credits including Journey 2: Mysterious Island, Fast Five, The Other Guys, The Game Plan, Gridiron Gang, Walking Tall and The Rundown. Johnson’s television credits include guest appearances on Family Guy and Saturday Night Live, plus regular appearances on WWE Monday Night Raw. Johnson is represented by WME Entertainment.
As a celebrity influencer, Johnson has established unparalleled social-media engagement with more than 10 million fans worldwide to date across the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube platforms. He holds an unprecedented 38% re-tweet rate and has a consistently expanding fan base that averages more than 8,000 new followers/fans per day on both Twitter and Facebook. At last year’s 5th Annual Mashable Awards, Johnson won as a “Must-Follow Actor or Actress on Social Media.” Additionally, over the past month alone, Johnson’s Facebook posts have received more than a quarter million “likes,” reaching upwards of 5 million fans with a single photo and message.
The Hero was created by Craig Armstrong and Rick Ringbakk of the Emmy-winning 5×5 Media (Survivor, Fashion Star, TBS’s upcoming King of the Nerds), along with Charles Wachter (Fashion Star, Food Revolution) and Electus’ Ben Silverman (Fashion Star, The Biggest Loser, The Office). The series is executive-produced by Electus (Ben Silverman, Chris Grant and Jimmy Fox); 5×5 Media (part of the Electus studio system led by Craig Armstrong and Rick Ringbakk); Charles Wachter; Dwayne Johnson; and Dany Garcia. Electus International, Electus’ global distribution arm, will retain all international distribution rights.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on May 3, 2012 at 2:09 pm
In honor of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s fortieth birthday on Wednesday, TooFab.com has posted high school photos of “The Great One” and other grappling greats including The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan and John Cena.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on April 27, 2012 at 9:10 pm
The entertainment industry has been left buzzing after the latest set photos from Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain” movie shoot in Miami featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. One photo shows The Rock is grilling a prosthetic hand in one particular scene. It’s part of bizarre events depicted in the bodybuilding comedy movie. The involvement of Israeli-born model Bar Paly, whose character interacts with Rock and co-star Mark Wahlberg has also been generating a buzz.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on April 17, 2012 at 3:12 pm
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has addressed the meaning behind one of his most famous catchphrases, “Jabroni.”
When asked of the meaning of the word Tuesday on Twitter, he wrote, “Jabroni was a term I started using to describe a phony, goof, punk or a ham & egger. #NoCandyAssJabronis.”
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on April 16, 2012 at 3:57 pm
WWE proudly announced Monday that WrestleMania XXVIII set new records for pay-per-view buys and gross sales.
According to WWE.com, preliminary estimates show that WrestleMania garnered 1.3 million pay-per-view buys with global gross sales in excess of $67 million.
The event was seen around the world on pay-per-view in more than 105 countries and 20 languages.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who competed in the “Once in a Lifetime” Match against John Cena, touted the event’s success via Twitter.
He wrote, “BREAKING NEWS: Wrestlemania 28 sets all time PPV buys & one day global gross record. #TeamBringItWorldwide THANK YOU!”
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on April 12, 2012 at 10:54 pm
Warner Bros. is in the process of picking up the adapted screenplay “Lore” reports The Hollywood Reporter. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star in the sci-fi action film, which is being described as “Men in Black with mythological creatures”.
The report notes that the seven deal went down in a high activity bidding war once Johnson was attached to the project.
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on April 11, 2012 at 4:03 pm
CM Punk responded to a report published here Monday stating that WWE officials are concerned with him being “too small” to adequately face Brock Lesnar in a potential match-up as well as his “battered” appearance backstage. He wrote, “Dirt sheets can call me small, skinny, beat up, road-tired, fat, ugly, no friends etc…everyone else calls me champ. Everyone.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson saw his message and showed his support for the WWE Champion.
“Amen,” Johnson wrote to Punk. “The credit will always belong to the man who is actually in the arena” #KeepDoingItStrongChamp.”
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on March 31, 2012 at 1:18 pm
WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson spoke with SportsTownChicago.com about his son The Rock training for WrestleMania 28. Johnson said:
“My boy has been ready getting in shape on the set, and even had a ring built on the movie set. He would practice any chance he wanted because he knew this was going to be the biggest WrestleMania ever! He had a couple of ex-wrestlers on the set with him so he would work out with them. He is in fantastic shape. He gets off the movie set at 7 at night and gets in the ring for a few hours, then eats, showers, and goes to bed. Then he is up again at 4am the next day.”
0Posted by Brett Clendaniel on March 24, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson discusses how he overcame failure to become The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment in a “Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena” exclusive video.
