Here's 66-year-old living legend Liza Minnelli at an event in L.A. on Thursday (left) -- and Sylvester Stallone in one of the "Rocky" films from the '80s (right).

David Gest once claimed to have been beaten up by one of them.

We're just sayin'.

Sylvester Stallone claims he was victimized by an "incompetent con man" who bilked him out of $1.4 million in a "shameful" home repair scheme ... and Sly claims he never would have gotten involved with the guy if it wasn't for Lisa Vanderpump. 

Stallone has declared legal war on a Mohamed Hadid -- claiming the guy is an "unscrupulous, unlicensed predator" posing as a qualified general contractor. 

In his lawsuit, filed today in L.A. County Superior Court by legal pit bull Marty Singer, Stallone claims he hired Hadid to perform high-quality work on his L.A. mansion in 2009 ... after receiving a glowing recommendation from "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Vanderpump.

Instead, Stallone claims, he was left with "inexpensive, damaged deteriorating and uneven cabinetry and malfunctioning appliances" ... among other things.

Stallone claims Hadid charged him more than $10k for a "high quality wooden kitchen island" ... but instead he installed a "cheap wood veneer/plywood product that is defective and virtually worthless."

Stallone says Hadid also installed an inoperable and unsafe fire pit, an incomplete and unsafe air conditioning system ... and he claims the glass work on the house also sucked.

"Far from the top quality job promised, Hadid's work was riddled with defects, abysmal quality and poor workmanship."

Now, Stallone wants all of his money back ... plus damages ... and warns, "If you want to hire an incompetent con man to do construction, then Mohamed Hadid is your man."


3:36PM PST: Lisa Vanderpump tells TMZ, Sly and Hadid did indeed meet socially through her, but she added, "They're old enough to make their own decisions."

60 something action stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone both needed surgery after filming "Expendables 2" -- which gave us a great idea for their next blockbuster. Roll it!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone got his and his shoulder surgeries at a hospital yesterday ... making millions of fans feel sad and old at the same time.

Ahnald posted the pic yesterday ... with the caption, "After all the action, stunts & physical abuse shooting 'The Expendables 2' and 'The Last Stand,' it was time for a little tune up on my shoulder. Look who was coincidentally waiting in line behind me for his shoulder surgery."

He added, "Now we're ready for another round of great times and action when we shoot 'The Tomb.'"

For the record, Arnie is 64 and Stallone is 65 ... and still in better shape than most humans.

Sylvester Stallone has successfully crafted an unforgettable pen -- unfortunately, it's only unforgettable for its uniquely, umm ... ugly looks. Oh, and it costs $5,000!

Check out TMZ on TV -- click here to see your local listings!

A stuntman was killed on the Bulgaria set of "Expendables 2" yesterday ... during a big stunt involving an explosion in a rubber boat.

A second stuntman was also injured during the incident ... and is reportedly in stable condition.

It's unclear if any of the big stars in the film -- including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis and Jet Li -- were on set during the accident.

The production company behind the flick released a statement saying, "It is with great regret that we confirm this unfortunate accident."

A rep added, "Our hearts go out to the families and those on the production affected by this tragedy. The filmmakers are working closely with the authorities in responding to and investigating this accident."

A pair of boxing gloves said to be worn by Sylvester Stallone in the original "Rocky" movie have just been pulled from a high profile Hollywood auction -- all because Sly himself is calling BS on the authenticity of the items.




The gloves were set to hit the auction block next month during an event organized by Profiles In History -- a pretty well-known memorabilia dealer.

But once Stallone got wind of the event -- his lawyer, legal pit bull Marty Singer, fired off a cease and desist letter to PIH stating, "Be advised that these items are not 'Sylvester Stallone's boxing gloves from the first Rocky' and they are not authentic."


Stallone threatened to sue if the items weren't 86'd from the auction ASAP.

PIH obliged -- and says it is "withdrawing the items pending further research." Though a rep tells us the company is VERY confident the gloves are legit. 

After 17 years apart, Sylvester Stallone will finally be reunited with the legendary classic car featured in his movie "Cobra" ... after it was stolen out of his garage back in 1994 ... TMZ has learned.



We broke the story -- in 2009, Sly learned his custom built 1950 Mercury was about to be auctioned off by a company that provides "on-camera vehicles" for movies.

Sly never directly accused the company of stealing his ride ... he just wanted the damn thing back -- so he filed a lawsuit to regain possession.

Now, TMZ has learned, Stallone and the company reached a settlement ... under which Sly will regain ownership of the whip ... estimated to be worth more than $250,000.

It's unclear if any money changed hands ... but who cares, Sly's getting his "Cobra" car back!!!

Now that he doesn't have that cushy government job, Arnold Schwarzenegger tried out for a gig as Sylvester Stallone's personal car attendant outside a restaurant in LA yesterday.


Times really are tough in California.

Sylvester Stallone's SICK 1955 custom-built truck that he drove in "The Expendables" just went to the highest bidder at an AWESOME celebrity car auction in Arizona this weekend for $132k ... TMZ has learned.



According to the Barrett-Jackson auction company, the truck -- which was custom built by the guys at "West Coast Customs" -- had all sorts of badass features including a new Ford 347cid Edelbrock engine and awesome race seats.

But the craziest part about the truck -- it comes with "hidden compartments to hold movie weapons."

Stallone's ride wasn't the only AMAZING celebrity automobile on the auction block -- Evel Knievel's famous truck ... Alice Cooper's custom Camaro ... and even a car used by Elvis ... they all sold for big numbers.



Check out the gallery to see how much each ride pulled in.

The overzealous fan who was arrested outside Sylvester Stallone's home back in August finally got a chance to meet his hero today -- and although the meeting went well, he still ended up having a run-in with the law.


Stallone was at his usual Saturday hangout, Cafe Roma, when Damon T. Dana (who was shirtless at this point) introduced himself to Sly and the two chatted for about a minute. The conversation was cordial and Sly went on to a private room to have lunch with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After the meeting, however, Dana stuck around, still shirtless, and started walking around the restaurant. The restaurant eventually had enough and called police.

Beverly Hills PD responded and detained Dana. They eventually escorted him to his car and told him to leave.

Dana was arrested back in August after he tried to sneak on to Sly's estate.