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Rocky wins a prose knockout
Patrick D. Hazard
Rocky wins a prose knockout
PATRICK D. HAZARD
The Philadelphia Art Commission gave in to the Rocky Balboa crowd today in a split decision. He won't stand atop the steps, and Sylvester Stallone himself will pay for a new bronze pedestal on the lawn just north of the steps. Who said Philly lacked public-spirited donors?
The 2000-pound, eight-foot foot Rocky "has beared [sic] the test of time" claimed commission member Emmanuel Kelly, who voted Yeah! Naysayer Miguel Angel Corzo, president of the University of the Arts, noted that the issue wasn't a question of art, since the Museum already had a urinal that fit that category. And besides, people run up the steps every day so they don't need a "physical symbol" (in the words of the Inquirer’s Michael Vitez) to remind them. Corzo did wonder if Rocky would (as paraphrased by Vitez) "stand up over time" to the likes of Rodin's thinker and other statues on the Parkway.
No matter. Jim Binns, described by the Inquirer as “a longtime advocate of moving the statue to the museum area, “ said he expects "hundreds of thousands" to attend the dedication ceremony, and the Daily News has organized "a first ever" “Philly Loves Rocky Week,” which includes a Rocky and Adrian look-alike contest. No talk yet of a vertical hundred-yard dash competition.
Philadelphia Commerce Director Stephanie Naidoff waxed philosophical about the fact that a concrete foundation for the bronze pedestal was being poured even before the commission voted. "If we waited until we had the vote," she reasoned, "we couldn't be ready. This is a reasonable step because it could be undone easily." Naidoff added that "We are very respectful of the Art Commission and of its role and we didn't want to go ahead and put the pedestal and statue and do all that should have been done to beautify the area." Except that they did.
Vitez of the Inquirer (click here) deserves our praise for writing in an English that perfectly captures the Rocky esthetic.
PATRICK D. HAZARD
The Philadelphia Art Commission gave in to the Rocky Balboa crowd today in a split decision. He won't stand atop the steps, and Sylvester Stallone himself will pay for a new bronze pedestal on the lawn just north of the steps. Who said Philly lacked public-spirited donors?
The 2000-pound, eight-foot foot Rocky "has beared [sic] the test of time" claimed commission member Emmanuel Kelly, who voted Yeah! Naysayer Miguel Angel Corzo, president of the University of the Arts, noted that the issue wasn't a question of art, since the Museum already had a urinal that fit that category. And besides, people run up the steps every day so they don't need a "physical symbol" (in the words of the Inquirer’s Michael Vitez) to remind them. Corzo did wonder if Rocky would (as paraphrased by Vitez) "stand up over time" to the likes of Rodin's thinker and other statues on the Parkway.
No matter. Jim Binns, described by the Inquirer as “a longtime advocate of moving the statue to the museum area, “ said he expects "hundreds of thousands" to attend the dedication ceremony, and the Daily News has organized "a first ever" “Philly Loves Rocky Week,” which includes a Rocky and Adrian look-alike contest. No talk yet of a vertical hundred-yard dash competition.
Philadelphia Commerce Director Stephanie Naidoff waxed philosophical about the fact that a concrete foundation for the bronze pedestal was being poured even before the commission voted. "If we waited until we had the vote," she reasoned, "we couldn't be ready. This is a reasonable step because it could be undone easily." Naidoff added that "We are very respectful of the Art Commission and of its role and we didn't want to go ahead and put the pedestal and statue and do all that should have been done to beautify the area." Except that they did.
Vitez of the Inquirer (click here) deserves our praise for writing in an English that perfectly captures the Rocky esthetic.
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