Saturday, May 2nd was family day at the Avidan house, and the family decided to go to a carnival, fundraiser and more to a special charter school, one which was named after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many people have not know that there is a school named for Arnold, which was renamed in July 2007. Here is the press release on it from last year.

In honor of Governor Schwarzenegger’s commitment to the education of all California children, today the CHIME Charter Elementary School will be renamed in honor of the Governor, to the CHIME Institute’s Arnold Schwarzenegger Elementary School. Located in Woodland Hills, the newly renamed elementary school is part of the CHIME Institute.

“I am honored to have a high-quality institution like CHIME Charter Elementary named in my honor. The CHIME Institute shares my commitment to educating all children,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

CHIME Institute implements a co-teaching model where general and special education teachers provide curriculum and learning experiences that meet the needs of all students.

Congratulations to Shawn and Kristie Ray on the birth of their second daughter. Isabella Blu Ray was born on April 30th, at 9:22pm in the evening. She weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces, and measured 19 1/2 inches long.  Isabella’s big sister, Asia, is going to have a whole new person to share all her toys with now!

Being released in some limited theaters on May 30th, the semi documentary movie Bigger, Stronger, Faster is about steroids, and its affects on our culture and more. It was showcased at a few film festivals, the last being the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and Magnolia Pictures is bringing it to the big screen. Here is some information on this movie, which is sure to bring more discussion on the Getbig boards and through various bodybuilding circles.

In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. We reward speed, size and above all else: winning – at sport, at business and at war. Metaphorically we are a nation on steroids. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs?

From the producers of Bowling For Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 comes a new film that unflinchingly explores our win-at-all-cost culture through the lens of a personal journey. Blending comedy and pathos, BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER* is a collision of pop culture, animated sequences and first-person narrative, with a diverse cast including US Congressmen, professional athletes, medical experts and everyday gym rats.

At its heart, this is the story of director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, who grew up idolizing muscular giants like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who went on to become members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. When you discover that your heroes have all broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes?

For more information, please go to:

When we were in Boise, we got a chance to speak to Kevin Levrone about what is new in his life, and various subjects including his upcoming movie titled “I Am”. Kevin started to shoot the move in Castle Rock, Colorado around October 2007, and it is slated for a Fall 2008 release.

To check out the interview, please go to:

Here is a synopsis of the movie. A film with the passion and exciting, raw emotional drama of Romeo and Juliet, I AM is the story of a young man who has always been everything to everyone. Marvin The Great Pearl is a man who is truly blessed in life and succeeds in everything he pursues; class president, valedictorian and star athlete turned global icon. He is in the midst of beginning his political career when through personal tragedy, or perhaps divine intervention, he finds that he is losing the most important thing in his life. It also happens to be the one thing in this world that he cannot control through his own power. And with the two most powerful words on the planet, I AM, Marvin is confronted with the decision of his life and death!

For more information on the movie, please go to:

American Gladiators season Two is currently taping at the Sports Arena, and we find out that there are about 16 American Gladiators (as there is also an Australian and English version that is new too).

So far, we know of seven new American Gladiators which include Jet (female winner from last season), Pheonix (female with pink hair), Panther (female), Steel (female), Hurricane (male with pink, blond and black hair), Zen (female), and Rocket (male).

And yes, Siren and Venom, Justice and Wolf are still there, and many others from Season One are there and competing. Others, including Fury and Stealth, are still injured.

And there are lots of new events, for a total of 15 events for Season 2. New events include  Tilt, Atlasphere, Vertigo, Rocketball, Snapback, and Skytrack.

More to come soon…

At the 2008 Orange County Muscle Classic contest on April 19, 2008, I had a chance to meet Rory Leidelmeyer, who Lonnie Teper and a few others call him ‘The Greatest Bodybuilder never to turn Pro’. The guy is still dynamic, and looked pretty cool, and had a lot of admirers when he competed 25+ years old. The guy is 53 years old, and still looks fit. Here is a pic of him.

For more on Rory and other stories, please go to:

Muscle Beach is getting a face lift. The weight pen on the beach in Venice, California, will be closing on May 8th, and the renovated weight pen will reopen with great fanfare on May 17th, 2008 at 2pm. $50,000 in new equipment will be introduced, courtesy of Bodybuilding.com. The area will also receive a new flooring, courtesy of Headblade.

Many special people will be at the Grand Opening, including the five inductees from last year’s show, as their plaques will be unveiled along the Walk of Fame.  Jack LaLanne and Franco Columbu have also confirmed they will be there.

To those who can make it, it will be a special event. See you there.

Larry Pepe, on the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Radio show, got out of Jay, the honest answer on who he thinks will be the top five at the 2008 Mr. Olympia. Here is Jay’s prediction on who they are.

1) Jay Cutler
2) Dexter Jackson
3) Phil Heath
4) Dennis Wolf
5) Kai Greene

Missing are some noteworthy competitors, including Melvin Anthony, Silvio Samuel, and Gustavo Badell. The reason that Victor Martinez is not on the list, is that we all assume he is bypassing the Olympia due to injury, and will concentrate on the 2009 Arnold Classic instead.

The tentative list is out for the 2008 New York Pro Men’s contest, which will be held on May 10th, 2008 at the Tribeca Peforming Arts Theater, at 199 Chambers Street, in New York, and it looks like it is going to be a good contest. 32 competitors have signed on, and here is the list. Top favorites include Ben White, David Henry, Charles Dixon, and Ronny Rockel. Of course, one name that we have heard that is doing the show, but not on the current list is Kai Greene. Thus, expect a few more competitors on this list soon.

1. Jason Arntz, USA
2. Elvis Brown, United Kingdom
3. Jimmy Canyon, USA
4. Gianluca Catapano, Italy
5. Brian Chamberlain, USA
6. Alfonso Del Rio, Spain
7. Charles Dixon, USA
8. Guy Ducasse, USA
9. Tarek Elsetouhi, Germany
10. Oleg Emelyanov, Russia
11. Abiu Feliz, USA
12. David Henry II, USA
13. Roland Huff, USA
14. Neset Icli, Netherlands
15. Leo Ingram, USA
16. Tricky Jackson, USA
17. Ken Jones, USA
18. Louis Joseph, Canada
19. Emro Karaduzovic, USA
20. Martin Kjellstrom, Sweden
21. Daron Lytle, USA
22. Don Long, USA
23. Evgeny Mishin, USA
24. Sergey Ogorodnikov, Russia
25. Bola Ojex, Nigeria
26. Ronny Rockel, Germany
27. Roc Shabazz, USA
28. Joel Stubbs, Bahamas
29. Henderson Thorne, Canada
30. Zoran Vejic, Serbia
31. Ben White, USA
32. Nathan Wonsley, USA

Here is the current list for the 2008 IFBB New York Pro Women’s bodybuilding contest, which will be held on May 10th, 2008 at the Tribeca Peforming Arts Theater, at 199 Chambers Street, in New York. 

1. Fabi Antoine, Belgium
2. Mercedes Bazemore, USA
3. Debbie Bramwell, USA
4. Sarah Bridges, USA
5. Kim Buck, USA
6. Maria Calo, USA
7. Giusy Caputo, Italy
8. Tina Chandler, USA
9. Angela Debatin, USA
10. Heather Foster, USA
11. Aurelia Grozajova, Slovakia
12. Rosemary Jennings, USA
13. Debi Laszewski, USA
14. Cathy LeFrancois, USA
15. Elizabeth Gomez Meza, Mexico
16. Colette Nelson, USA
17. Jeannie Paparone, USA
18. Annie Rivieccio, USA
19. Saskia Salemink, Netherlands
20. Antoinette Thompson, USA
21. Dena Westerfield, USA

Ah, leave it up to an encounter in Boise, Idaho at the 2008 Boise Fitness Expo where Jay Cutler himself decided to talk to Ron about his pick of who will win the 2008 Mr. Olympia. A few weeks back, in a heated moment on the boards, I got caught up into the action, and, in a moment of passion, said that Dennis Wolf is going to win the 2008 Mr. Olympia. Originally, I had Jay Cutler as my top prediction, but when Lonnie Teper went with Jay (and since Lonnie is usually wrong), Dennis Wolf was the choice.

Well, Jay Cutler himself wasn’t too happy with me. Click below for the pics and story of Jay guest posing and more.

In 1993, Star International commissioned and produced a special set of the top 100 bodybuilders, both female and male, at the current time that were in the IFBB. Some of us have the complete collection, and more. They were distributed in a box of 36 packs, 9 card in a pack. On the cover of the box was Christian Duffy and Mike Matarazzo, with the IFBB Logo right on the box.

To see the complete IFBB trading card collection, go to:

Ok, we take pictures of some of our favorite figure and fitness competitors, but soon, we may even get to play with them. Siren (Valarie Waugaman), Stealth (Tanji Johnson), Fury (Jamie Reed), and Venom (Beth Horn) just might have their own action ‘figure’ doll in the works. According to a press release: 

“Jakks Pacific signed an exclusive worldwide master toy license with MGM Consumer Products for American Gladiators, a television program that airs on NBC. Jakks expects to launch a line of American Gladiators toys and related products in Spring 2009, based on the characters and challenges seen on the show. American Gladiators is produced by MGM Television and Reveille in association with Flor-Jon Films, Inc. The comprehensive American Gladiators license agreement includes action figures, accessories, as well as outdoor sports and seasonal products, and role play toys, all based on the new American Gladiators live action series and the classic television series.”

Now, we need some for the bodybuilding community too.

 Here is the press release from BSN regarding the show:  

Bio-Engineered Supplements and Nutrition Inc. (BSN), the world leaders in cutting-edge physique and performance products, is proud to announce that they will be exclusively featured on the popular cable TV show American Chopper, which stars Paul Teutul Sr., his sons Paul Teutul Jr., Mikey Teutul and the rest of the Orange County Choppers (OCC) crew. The American Chopper episode will document the building of a custom fabrication, one-of-kind BSN-themed chopper, and in addition to the starring the OCC crew, will also have cameo appearances by The Girls of BSN, Team BSN athletes Anthony Presciano and 8-Time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, along with BSN co-founders and current President and Vice President, Chris Ferguson and Scott James.

In addition to the manufacture of the custom fabrication one-of-kind BSN-themed chopper, BSN also commissioned the production of an additional replica BSN chopper, with plans to donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this replica bike to the Warrior Transition Unit of the Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point, New York. With military hospitals a cause near and dear to BSN’s heart, Co-Founder and Vice President Scott James commented, “We really wanted to do something to give back to the soldiers who put their lives on the line every day protecting our country. We shot the bike’s unveil at a soldier’s monument in West Point, NY near the Keller Army Community Hospital and it made us all feel really proud. I want to thank everyone at the Warrior Transition Unit, the Keller Army Community Hospital and all of our brave military personnel for going above and beyond the call of duty everyday. I also want to thank Discovery and the boys at OCC for the most memorable and rewarding experience of my life.”

One of the most eagerly anticipated episodes of the new American Chopper season, be sure to tune into the BSN Bike Build episode of American Chopper on April 24th, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. EST on TLC! Don’t miss it!

The IFBB has removed the 2008 Keystone Classic Pro Bodybuilding contest from the 2008 Calendar of Events. It was set for June 21st, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  For those pros who were going to compete in this show, the next IFBB contest is on the 4th of July weekend in Houston, Texas.

The 20,000 sq ft FitFest Expo and the National Qualifying NPC Keystone Amateur & NPC Pennsylvania States will still be held on June 21st at Ag Hall in Allentown, PA.

Three new challenges will debut on the American Gladiator’s Season Two. They are called Depth, Sway Poles and Side Swipe. Filming begins tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. More information soon…

Gym Management Services, one of the premiere franchises of Gold’s Gym International, is proud to announce that they recently moved their executive offices from Hollywood to Northridge, California. The brand new 6,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility will provide Gym Management Services representatives with the most advanced technology available and an enlarged office building to allow the management company to operate at maximum efficiency.

“Our explosive growth in the past few years has really pushed us to focus on expanding internally and externally,” said Angel Banos, CEO of Gym Management Services. “We spent 12 years in the previous building and are thrilled with our decision to move our executive offices to a more
centralized location.”

The new facility was built from the ground up in order to accommodate the needs of staff and management and provide them with the highest technology and software available.  Inside the new building are offices for department heads including the Group Exercise Director, Retail/Food Buyer, Fitness Director, CFO/Accounting, Information Technology and a Customer Service department.  The new facility also includes an award-winning Gold’s Gym University, to provide an extensive training program for new and current employees.

Gym Management Services owns and operates many of the Los Angeles area Gold’s Gyms including Hollywood, North Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley.  The official location for the management company’s new office is located at 19835 Nordhoff St., Bldg 1A, Unit B, in Northridge, California.

Congratulations to Merv Petralba on the new addition to the family. Merv is one of the main photographers for Ironman Magazine, and is seen regularly at many IFBB and NPC shows covering the events. Trinity Drew Petralba was born on April 7, 2008 at 12:05am a little after midnight.  She was 6 pounds, 8 ounces.