Getbig Headlines

Lots of pictures were taken from the 2009 NPC USAs in Vegas, and Isaac Hinds, Mark Mason and Ron Avidan were at the venue to cover the contests. All of the pictures are up on Bodybuilding.com, but here is a link where you can check out the pics by category. 2009 NPC USA Pictures

Isaac Hinds has put out a very good preview on how may come home or do well with a pro card this weekend at the NPC USAs.  With so many competitors, and us guessing has to who will be competing, it makes the task even more eventful. Here is Isaac’s review on some of the ones to watch. Isaac Hinds’s NPC USA Review Not to be outdone, Lonnie Teper has put out a video on who he and Alex Azarian thinks will be competing and doing well at the NPC USA’s. The video was done about a month ago, but it still shows LT’s whimsical and poignant thoughts in front of the closed Gold’s Gym Northridge. Incidently, LT will be the emcee of the 2009 NPC USA’s again, as only LT can go through 470+ names, and not make a mistake on pronouncing each one.Here is the link to the video. Lonnie Teper & Alex Azarian’s Preview

One of the highlights of the NPC Los Angeles show is when many of the potential NPC USA competitors that are out in Los Angeles get on stage for a preview for the NPC USA, which is one week after the contest. This year, there are a number of potential top 5 competitors that were on stage, including Tamer El-Guindy, Jermoe Ferguson and Pete Ciccone. Here are some pictures, with a slew more in the Getbig Picture section, which links to Bodybuilding.com.

Middleweight Daryl Gee won the overall men’s bodybuilding at the 2009 NPC Los Angeles contest, and is on his way to the NPC USA to challenge some of the top Middleweights competitor, and perhpas even get his pro card. Here is Daryl Gee, moments after he won the overall on saturday, July 18th, in Culver City, California.

Sunday, July 19, 2009 To: All Bodybuilding Press From: Jim Manion, NPC National Office Subject: Benjamin Loehrer Due to age ineligibility Benjamin Loehrer has been declared ineligible as the 2009 NPC Teenage National Light-Heavyweight & Overall winner. Overall runner-up Uriah McGee will be awarded the Overall title & also the trip to Los Angeles for the Flex Magazine featured article & photo shoot. Also, all competitors in the Light-Heavyweight class will now move up a placing. Jim Manion NPC President

Retired IFBB Hall of Fame Bodybuilder Shawn Ray has joined GENr8, Inc., the exclusive marketers of Vitargo® S2. Shawn will be a Chief Consultant and Strategist to GENr8 in the areas of marketing and promotions related to bodybuilding and its athletes, both professional and amateur, creating opportunities for charity events, as well as muscle camps, pro bodybuilding competition, and sponsorship opportunities. Shawn retired from competitive bodybuilding in 2001 after a successful 13-year career. He enjoyed 12 consecutive years as a top 5 finalist in the Mr. Olympia contest while achieving 1st runner up in both 1994 and 1996. Shawn is a writer and radio host of MD Radio with Muscular Development Magazine and has over 22 years experience in the sport ranging from competitor, contest promoter, master of ceremonies, journalist, and event organizer. “My time on the contest stage and behind the scene in the sport of Bodybuilding has prepared me for an opportunity such as this, where I can continue to help others grow while sharing the superior benefits of a patented, scientifically proven product like Vitargo S2“, stated Mr. Ray. Shawn will be working directly with GENr8 President and CEO, Anthony L. Almada, B.Sc., M.Sc. a graduate of…

Last Tuesday, it was reported that Eridania Rodriquez was missing. She went to work in a building near the World Trade Center, where she cleaned offices, and never came out. No one knew what happened, until they found blood leaking from a ventilation shaft this past weekend. She was found bound and gagged, hand tied behind her back, feet and mouth taped, and on the 12th floor, whereas her cleaning cart was on the 8th floor. The autopsy confirmed that she died of asphyxiation by tape to her head and face. Eridania leaves behind three children. She was the oldest of 10 siblings. Condolences to the Martinez’ family and her friends.  This is truly shocking, and we hope that they find whoever did this, and treat them the same.  Will this affect Victor Martinez and his training in becoming the #1 bodybuilder in the world at the 2009 Mr. Olympia. How can it not? But Victor should press on ahead and dedicated his performance to his sister, for we cannot let evil stop us from what we do. Victor Martinez, speaking on ABC News said “We loved our sister very much. Mother, grandmother. It is a horrible loss right now. I just…

Due to the overwhelming turnout of competitors at the 2009 NPC USA,  we have moved the Figure prejudging from Friday to Saturday morning, and the Bikini prejudging has been moved from Saturday morning to Friday evening with the men.  All prejudging tickets purchased prior to July 10th will be honored in accordance with the new schedule. Currently, we have 460+ competitors entered in what is the biggest and best NPC USA contest ever!  

There is no question that this years NPC USA’s on July 24-25 in Las Vegas is going to be the biggest ever. With over 430 competitors as of July 7th, get ready for an incredible contest. This year, the bikini division has been added and each class winner here will become an IFBB pro. (Total of 6).  There will be a total of 17 IFBB pro given on the line at the NPC USAs.  Besides bikini with 6 new pros, figure will see 6 new ones as well. Also added this year for the men’s bodybuilding competition is that three competitors will turn pro instead of 2. So when we see that final posedown out of the seven class winners, we will get the overall winner, plus two others for the pro cards. For the women’s bodybuilding contest, 2 women will turn pro out of the four classes. Promoter Jon Lindsay always does a great job in organizing and making sure that the contest is one of the best NPC events of the year. The venue is the same as it has been for the last number of years, located at the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on the campus…

On September 25-26, 2009, Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia Weekend returns to the Orleans Arena and the Las Vegas Convention Center in sizzling Las Vegas, Nevada for what promises to be the most exciting event in the contest’s 44-year history. The title will be battled out by current Olympia Champion Dexter Jackson, 2-Time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Dennis Wolf and many more strong and talented professionals looking to be crowned the 2009 Mr. Olympia Champion. With the Olympia fast approaching we have created a way for you to be part of the Olympia Team. If you would like to take part in the design process of the merchandise that will be sold at the Olympia, please log on to www.MrOlympia.com and click on the t-shirt design contest. You will have access to uploading up to six (6) exclusive designs for a chance to win tickets to the 2009 Olympia. Be there for all the fireworks as the most talented athletes in the world battle it out to determine who truly is the best in men’s and women’s bodybuilding, fitness and figure.

July 4th, Independence Day here in the USA, is also when Muscle Beach Venice will be celebrating its 75th anniversary. One person that they will be inducting into the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame is Relna Brewer McRae, who helped her brother Paul, start and build 75 years ago what became known as Muscle Beach. NBC did an interview with Relna, which was very informative. You can check it out at the link below. NBC Newest Hall of Famer

Roland Kickinger is in a new movie called Raven, also starring Rudolf Martin, Meadow Williams, Steven Bauer, Courtney Gains and Dee Wallace.   A special screening of the movie will be shown at the Academy of Television Arts & Science in North Hollywood in a few weeks. Here is the cover poster of the movie.     RAVEN, a vampire thriller written by screenwriter Aaron Pope (DARK REEL) is the latest GruntWorks production, starring Roland Kickinger (TERMINATOR SALVATION) as John Salem, Rudolf Martin (SWORDFISH / BEDAZZLED) as Lazar, the old world vampire and a return from both Meadow Williams in the title role, Raven and Steven Bauer as William, Raven’s first victim. With appearances by legendary film actors Mr. Courtney Gains (CHILDREN OF THE CORN) and Ms. Dee Wallace (CUJO and THE HOWLING) and introducing Hollywood royalty, Weston Coppola Cage as the warrior vampire Thorean. The film, a cross between INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE and THE LOST BOYS was shot in February and March of this year.

The 2009 NPC Atlantic States, promoted by Steve Weinburger, is on June 6th, at the Tribecca Center in New York, New York. Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson are slated to guest pose at this contest. The contest features NPC bodybuilding, figure, fitness and bikini competitors. Here is the flyer and more information.

Farmington, CT  May 22nd, 2009  — To further celebrate their 30th anniversary, Ultimate Nutrition announced today a partnership with the 2009 Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend.  The Olympia Weekend, currently known as “The 2009 Olympia Weekend,” will now be known as “Ultimate Nutrition presents Joe Weider’s 2009 Olympia Weekend brought to you by Bodybuilding.com.”  The 2009 Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend  is scheduled to take place at the Orleans Arena and the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada between Sept. 24, 2009 and Sept. 27, 2009 and is the premier event in bodybuilding. “Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend is the top event in the bodybuilding world, and it is a perfect match for Ultimate Nutrition products,” said Brian Rubino, Vice President, Ultimate Nutrition. “Ultimate Nutrition has stood for quality and innovation for 30 years and having the opportunity to present the 2009 Joe Weider’s Olympia Weekend is another great event of our 30th anniversary celebration.” About Ultimate Nutrition. Ultimate Nutrition was founded in 1979 by Victor H. Rubino. At the time Victor was one of the top amateur power lifters in the United States. Driven by a goal to become the best, Victor knew that supplements were the key to improving…

VPX filed an appeal of the injunction issued by a district court in California precluding VPX from using its registered trademark “Muscle Power” and the trade dress on its packaging. Jack Owoc, CEO and founder of VPX, explained that VPX was highly disappointed by the ruling: “We are very disconcerted by the court”s ruling and think that it was misled in regard to Cytosport”s rights and the nature of the competition in our industry. The only similarities in our trademarks are the use of the word ”Muscle,” but there are more than 60 registered trademarks at the Patent and Trademark Office in class 5 alone containing the word ”Muscle.” ”Muscle” is commonly used in product and company names in our industry, in part because our products help build muscle. Cytosport never objected to the registration of our trademark, despite having an opportunity to do so, and the Patent and Trademark Office found no conflict between “Muscle Power®” and “Muscle Milk®.” We have never intended to confuse customers into thinking our product was Muscle Milk® -we want them to know it’s different and better! We point out in our advertising why Muscle Power® is a better product — Muscle Milk® contains…

On Wednesday, May 6th in Sacramento, CA, a Federal Court issued an order requiring Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VPX) to immediately remove Muscle Power from the marketplace after concluding that the product infringes on CytoSport’s trademark rights of Muscle Milk®. This preliminary injunction was prompted after CytoSport filed a lawsuit against VPX, stating that Muscle Power’s packaging, or “trade dress,” was deceptively similar to Muscle Milk®’s packaging.  In its decision, the court stated that “VPX has chosen an identical font, in an identical color, on an identically shaped package, and placed the mark on the package in an identical location.”  The court also stated that “when the marks are viewed as a whole with each product’s respective trade dress, the court has no difficulty concluding that the two marks are overwhelmingly similar.” Upon concluding that VPX has violated CytoSport’s trademark rights, the court also stated that “VPX could have easily used a trade dress more consistent with its other RTD products, e.g. Redline, Black Pearl and Pump 7.”  Given that the injunction is preliminary in nature, the lawsuit will continue while the injunction is in place. “We are gratified by the court’s ruling and will continue to vigorously enforce our rights…

The following statement was issued today by Iovate regarding the Hydroxycut recall. As you know, Iovate is strongly committed to product safety. In keeping with that mission, Iovate welcomes balanced regulation for the dietary supplement industry, and we feel that these regulations are in the best interest of our customers and our industry. Millions of consumers purchase Hydroxycut products each year. Iovate carefully considers the ingredients in each of its dietary supplement formulations to make sure that they are safe. Each ingredient in each formulation is investigated for safety by reviewing all of the available medical, scientific, and toxicological information that is publicly available. Iovate works closely with nutritional scientists and other scientists, both within and outside of the company, to develop its products. A world-renowned, independent third-party expert toxicological firm reviews all formulas Iovate launches for safety, before launch. Iovate does not release any product containing any ingredient that it has not evaluated for safety. In addition, once an Iovate product is made available to consumers, Iovate continues to monitor the safety of the product by collecting information on potential adverse experiences with the product. Iovate initiated a voluntary recall when it became aware that the U.S. Food and…

Dietary Supplements Linked to One Death; Pose Risk of Liver Injury The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., of Oakville, Ontario and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, N.Y. Some Hydroxycut products are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. Iovate has agreed to recall Hydroxycut products from the market. The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure. Liver injury, although rare, was reported by patients at the doses of Hydroxycut recommended on the bottle. Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) and brown urine. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite.   “The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products…

Here are the pics, from Isaac Hinds, of the Men’s prejudging, with Troy Alves, Darrem Charles and Hidetada looking like they will place in the top three. The link of the pics is http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/10782/event/1/ Here is the link for the pictures from the IFBB Pro Figure prejudging http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/10782/event/3/ Here is the link for the pictures from the IFBB Pro Fitness prejudging http://contest.bodybuilding.com/gallery/contest/10782/event/4/