Lonnie Teper will be hosting the event.  Lots of people coming to honor Joe.


From LT -- "Arnold, who called Joe Weider his "dear friend and mentor", will be giving the main address Sunday at the Weider Memorial in Santa Monica. I'll be hosting the event, which is being streamed, live, on Bodybuilding.com at 1 pm (PST). Some of the industry's major figures will be flying in from all over the world to pay tribute to the Master Blaster."

You would be amazed on how many people think they are dudes, the same people, and more.  Kinda funny.

Sarah ... ah... the days of Jay and Optimum...

Lulu, Booty and Sarah are not the same people.  Boy, some of you love the conspiracy theories out there. 

Heading to the IFBB / NPC Los Angeles Grand Prix in Culver City tomorrow to take lots of pics.  300+ NPC competitors, plus 34 IFBB mens and womens physique competitors.  See some of you there!

More info...





Two IFBB pro contests (Mens Physique and Womens Physique) are going to be held at the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City, California 90230, on Saturday, April 13th. Of course, there will be hundreds of NPC competitors, in mens bodybuilding, figure, bikini, and physique also competing.

IFBB Pro Competitors include (as of April 9th)

IFBB Men’s Physique

1. Todd Abrams (Frisco, Texas)
2. Michael Anderson (Cleveland, Ohio)
3. Tyler Anderson (San Diego, California)
4. Adam Bankston (Chico, California)
5. Justin Busiere (Orlando, Florida)
6. Michael Barnt (Roseville, California)
7. Alexandre Carneiro (Brazil)
8. Matt Christianer (North Hollywood, California)
9. Matt DuBois (Antioch, California)
10. Scott Lamb (San Jose, California)
11. Trevor Larsen (Henderson, Nevada)
12. Ian Lauer (Burbank, California)
13. Keenon LeBlanc Jr (Marrero, Louisiana)
14. Douglas Peanut (Perth Amboy, New Jersey)
15. Jason Poston (Bedford, Texas)
16. William Sullivan (Syracuse, New York)
17. Donta Tanner (Waipahu, Hawaii)
18. Mark Anthony Wingson (Las Vegas, Nevada)
19. Tory Woodward (San Jose, California)

IFBB Women’s Physique

1. Debbie Barrable (Alberta, Canada)
2. Tycie Coppett (Johns Creek, Georgia)
3. Susan Graham (Paso Robles, California)
4. Keri Ann Heitzman (Portland, Oregon)
5. Karin (Kimura) Hobbs (Boise, Idaho)
6. Anne Marie Kam (Eugene, Oregon)
7. Anne Marie Lasserre (Australia)
8. Leon Leonard (Sacramento, California)
9. Patricia Mello (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
10. Venus Nguyen (Irvine, California)
11. Antonia Perdikakis (Cockeysville, Maryland)
12. Janessa Roy (Manitoba, Canada)
13. Jill Rudison (Venice, California)
14. Stacy (Simons) McDowell (Blackwood, New Jersey)
15. Michelle Trapp (San Diego, California)
16. Elizabeth White Wilson (North Carolina)

Prejudging will begin at 10am (starting with the NPC, and the IFBB sometime an hour+ later on). Finals start at 6:30pm. See you there.

14 Ridiculous GIFs From "Pain And Gain"

http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/14-ridiculous-gifs-from-pain-and-gain

Duh.  Joe Weider was buried in Westwood Memorial Park in a private funeral.   This is a memorial, reflecting various people and speakers on how Joe changed their lives.  It is an honor to go.

A special way to get a six pack...

From Lonnie Teper

"Am extremely honored to be chosen as the emcee of the Memorial for Joe Weider, which will take place on Sunday, April 14, in Santa Monica, CA. It will be an invitation-only affair, but fans all over the world will be able to watch the event, live via an exclusive webcast, thanks to the efforts of Bodybuilding.com."

Surprisingly, I could after about 10 seconds....

The Memorial for publishing, fitness and bodybuilding icon Joe Weider will be streamed live via the Internet on Bodybuilding.com, the largest fitness site in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors. The memorial is scheduled for Sunday, April 14, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. (PDT) in Santa Monica, California.

Visitors who cannot join the webcast live can view it later on Bodybuilding.com.

This memorial service is expected to be a memorable event in bodybuilding history. It will be attended by many of the great champions and legends of the sport. The major address will be delivered by Joe's lifelong friend, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Bodybuilding fans from around the world will be able to share in this amazing memorial," says John Hardesty, Vice President of Digital Publishing at Bodybuilding.com. "We are honored to have been chosen as the exclusive outlet for this historic broadcast and will present it exactly as it happens. Joe Weider's contribution to fitness and bodybuilding cannot be overstated. Without Joe, none of us would be here."

Joe Weider's influence is felt in every area of fitness and health. He created a massive fitness publishing empire, including Muscle & Fitness, Flex, Shape, and Men's Fitness magazines. He popularized the use of fitness equipment in people's homes and was a leader in establishing the use of nutritional supplements. The company he founded, Weider Health and Fitness, became synonymous with fitness, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

Please join us in celebrating the life and legacy of the man who helped shaped our bodies, our industry, our sport and our world.

This should be interesting.  ABB is putting up a contest to see who the top trainers of the year are... at least who one thinks they are.  Here is the information on it.  For those of you that don't know, ABB and I go way back (we distribute it), and they were the first to sponsor the site.  Here is the info

--------------------------------

Through hard work and dedication, ABB Performance has become a leading innovator in ready to drink sports nutrition products. Our success also extends to a no-nonsense line of ready to mix powders called Performance Essentials. If you share our brand's commitment to excellence, you might be a candidate for ABB Trainer of the Year

Putting Up A 'Built Greater' Effort ABB Performance products are Built Greater because they're formulated to provide the optimal balance of quality, value and taste. We're looking for Personal Trainers who share our determination to build greatness in the gym. Earning ABB Trainer of the Year honors, and the trip to this year's Olympia Weekend, requires a mastery of exercise training along with a basic understanding of social media.

First Prize: Trip for two to 2013 Olympia Weekend, September 27th & 28th, in Las Vegas, NV.
Second Prize: $1,000 Worth of ABB Performance RTDs and Performance Essentials.
Third Prize: $500 Worth of ABB Performance RTDs and Performance Essentials.

All you need to do to be in with a chance of becoming our Trainer of the Year is send the following details to us at TrainerOfTheYear@ABBperformance.com on or before May 31, 2013:

Social Media Profile Information (facebook, twitter, pinterest, youtube)
Recommendations from clients/employers
Work history as a trainer
Photos of yourself at work

The story of what makes you "Built Greater Than" the rest as a trainer

RULES: To qualify, you must be 18+ years of age, currently working as a Personal Trailer and legal U.S. resident with valid street address (no P.O. boxes). Applicants cannot be affiliated with any other sports nutrition brand. Posts containing profanity and/or derogatory comments will result in disqualification. Winners selected by ABB Performance on June 15, 2013 can be replaced with other contestants if they fail to respond to email notification within 3 days of receipt.

Seriously true.   Neither would a big part of the supplement industry.  Between him and Arnold, the Arnold Classic and Mr. Olympia are two of the biggest events for the 'sports supplement industry' in the US.  And Joe brought Arnold into the picture.

That is why the Memorial Service (or better yet, stories of remembering a celebration of life) has Arnold's Oak Productions involved in it heavily.  Respect.

Threats are pathetic.  And sad.  people think it is cool.  It is not.  As we all know, things get heated, but family is off limits.  Threats like that get timed out and booted. Nobody wants that. 

I cannot tell you how many times people called me names, threatened me for kicking them out, and so much more. But if someone even thinks about going through with something like that, the police will get involved. 

Jeez.

Not sure, but I would guess Lou Ferrigno will be there too, as well as a lot of others.

Yes, although with Disney, they do provide a lot of them with preferred jobs offers and opportunities in other Disney divisions, which is huge.   And yes, many other companies will be able to add on to the workforce for the extra games that will be now made (instead of just 2, there may be 5 or 6+)
 

"Fitness Legends Gather to Celebrate Joe Weider's Life and Legacy"


The event will be held in Santa Monica.  Should be very cool. Should be some great stories on how Joe changed the industry and people.  Arnold will be there.
  

More like - they are shutting down the division and licensing it out to others, including those two games in development.  There will be tons of companies who will be willing to get the 'rights' to make the games for the movies, books, and various systems.  Expect quite a few new games in the next two years.

So, in other words, no cost for development, salaries, and more will be incurred now, and they get a royalty and licensing fee on all.  Profit wise, not a bad idea.

Successful 2 hours surgery, and released today.  Will be on the bench in Atlanta for the next game for support.
  Good to see...


"Injured Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware arrived on campus Tuesday afternoon after being discharged from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. His first stop was the Yum! practice center on Floyd Street, where he was bringing back the Midwest Regional trophy coach Rick Pitino left in his hospital room. Ware suffered a compound fracture of his right leg during Sunday's game against Duke. He sent a text to The Courier-Journal earlier saying he was leaving the hospital and plans to be in Atlanta for the Final Four on Wednesday. "I should be leaving around 1 to go back to school," Ware wrote. "Then make my way to Atlanta tomorrow.""

Very cool.

Living in Los Angeles, the Ironman Pro was the first bodybuilding contest of the year, and it was always cool to see who would surprise everyone for the year, and sometimes, a preclude to the Arnold Classic, which was usually held two weeks later. Was very sad to see it go.

Yes, the lighting at this contest, with the background was probably one of the best out there.

Done - timed out all.

This is pathetic, and way out of the rules.

It stops now

Wow - have not seen an injury like that in basketball before.

When Louisville sophomore guard Kevin Ware awoke from surgery to repair the gruesome open fracture he suffered Sunday, he was greeted by the sight of a trophy, a shiny sign that his teammates had carried out his order to win the NCAA tournament’s Midwest Region final and advance to the Final Four.

Ware underwent two hours of surgery in which his right tibia was reset, a rod was inserted in his leg and the open wound caused by the break was closed, Louisville announced. Ware is expected to remain in an Indianapolis hospital until Tuesday, while doctors monitor him for signs of infection and to make sure that blood flow has been restored in his leg. Upon his release, he hopes to travel with his teammates to Atlanta, his hometown, for Saturday’s Final Four game against Wichita State.

Coach Rick Pitino stayed with Ware until emergency medical personnel took over. “I went over and I was going to help him up and then all of a sudden I saw what it was and I literally almost threw up,” Pitino said. “And then I just wanted to try to get a towel to get it over that. But all the players came over and saw it.”

Ware’s girlfriend was with him in the ambulance as he was taken from the arena. His mother, Lisa Junior, was watching the game on TV in Conyers, Ga., and admitted that she “lost it” when CBS ran a replay of the injury. As her son headed to surgery around 8 p.m., he called to say (via SI.com), “Calm down, mom. I’m okay.” Pitino planned to stay with Ware, along with team doctors and Pitino’s son, Richard, who recruited Ware. “He was groggy, in good spirits,” Rick Pitino told the Associated Press. “He saw us win the trophy and was crying and said it was all worthwhile. We didn’t cut down the net, but I left him the trophy.”



From

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2013/04/01/kevin-ware-recovers-from-surgery-as-louisville-marches-on/

Lee is another bodybuilder who built up a tremendous supplement company, and has phased into the business world after he competed on stage and has done very well.  Family fan, good head on his shoulder, and understands that hard work and success comes with work, not just waiting for it.

Really? So how come there are 25 winners... but yes, you can say it is the 25th annual Arnold Classic event instead if the 24th anniversary of the event...

Arnold Classic Winners
1989: Rich Gaspari
1990: Mike Ashley
1991: Shawn Ray
1992: Vince Taylor
1993: Flex Wheeler
1994: Kevin Levrone
1995: Michael Francois
1996: Kevin Levrone
1997: Flex Wheeler
1998: Flex Wheeler
1999: Nasser El Sonbaty
2000: Flex Wheeler
2001: Ronnie Coleman
2002: Jay Cutler
2003: Jay Cutler
2004: Jay Cutler
2005: Dexter Jackson
2006: Dexter Jackson
2007: Victor Martinez
2008: Dexter Jackson
2009: Kai Greene
2010: Kai Greene
2011: Branch Warren
2012: Branch Warren
2013: Dexter Jackson

Hmm.. first ever winner of the Arnold Classic contest. Still around 25+ years later with a successful line of supplements, and doing well.  In the stigmatism that all bodybuilder fare poorly, he is one that has done very well.  In the bodybuilding industry, he achieved well.  Congrats.

Rich getting the award on stage

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yMK8pX4iBU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yMK8pX4iBU</a>