Flexonline recently posted this update on their forums on Hidetada:

FLEX EXCLUSIVE!
Yesterday morning Saturday, Dec 29th at 7am, a friend of the Flex family went to go visit Hide for the 1st time since his arrest on Dec 8th.

Hide was in surprisingly good mood and spirits.  He looks good and he said he is really happy about all the support he has been getting from various people incuding the jail guards.  Many are bodybuilding fans and of course know who he is, they have been bringing bodybuilding mags for him to sign on a regular basis, so even in there, Hide is a star.  LOL!!

He has been buying tuna cans and hard boil eggs to stay on his diet and he has been doing push ups, sit ups and pull ups with his own bodyweight to sort of keep up with the workouts a little.

Right now he has attorneys helping him out through all this so he’s not alone (which is very important, I’m sure you can imagine).  The fact that a lot of people think about him and support him in this time of needs really makes him happy.

He is awaiting his 1st trial appearance on Jan 8th, 2008.

That’s all we have at this point but keep checking FlexOnline often as we’ll update you on the latest developments.

Stay strong Hide.
The Flex Team

A couple of images for comic fans. Two movies are in the works for 2008 – Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. From Comingsoon.net:

We have received this new photo from director Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, opening in theaters on May 2 and starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges. Below it, you’ll find a better-quality version of The Incredible Hulk artwork that was released previously. The latter film opens June 13 and stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt and Tim Blake Nelson.

      

Some interesting information on opening and owning a Gold’s Gym Franchise. I found this the most staggering number, “While Gold’s is proud of its muscle-bound past, it cannot sustain its gyms with bodybuilders alone in the $17.6-billion fitness club industry.” A decent article and insight on the direction Gold’s Gym is headed.

This was published in the Detroit Free Press:

Gold’s Gym, made famous in the cult film “Pumping Iron” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, plans a major expansion in metro Detroit.

Plans are in the works for 20 new locations and at least $40 million in investment, said Keith Albright, director of development for the Dallas-based fitness chain. The chain plans to add 200 locations by 2010 for a total of more than 650 U.S. locations.

The bulk of Gold’s Gym locations are owned by franchisees. Michigan gyms are now in Ann Arbor, Howell, Battle Creek and New Buffalo. Albright plans a Detroit meeting in January to introduce potential franchisees to the brand.

A Gold’s Gym franchise takes a substantial investment, he said. The gyms are a minimum of 20,000 square feet and require a $2-million investment to build and equip. The company requires its franchisees to have an $800,000 net worth with $300,000 in liquid assets.

Added to that are initial franchise fees of $25,000 and then 3% of gross revenues for a royalty fee and 2% for advertising fees.

The franchise, with its roots in bodybuilding, has typically attracted people who grew up in a gym, but that has changed.

->> Read the Full Story Here.

Bodybuilding.com Announces Free All-Access Webcast Double-Header
Bodybuilding.com, the Internet’s most- visited bodybuilding and fitness site and largest retailer of nutritional supplements, has announced a free all-access webcast double-header featuring the 2008 Iron Man Pro and the Arnold Classic. Bodybuilding.com will broadcast live coverage on-stage and backstage at both events. Viewers will enjoy pre-show coverage, videos and interviews with the pros, in-depth profiles, exclusive offers from the Bodybuilding.com Store, contest blogs, and more!

The IFBB Iron Man Pro is the biggest and longest-running IFBB professional bodybuilding event on the West Coast. It is the only pro show in Los Angeles, the Mecca of bodybuilding. The top 3 finalists will qualify to compete in the next Mr. Olympia.

The Arnold Classic is an annual bodybuilding, fitness and figure competition (named after Arnold Schwarzenegger). It is the most lucrative competition in bodybuilding, with a number of large prizes. Most notably, the first place winner receives $100,000 cash, a Hummer vehicle, a Rolex watch, and some serious bragging rights for the year.

The 2008 Iron Man Pro will be webcast live Saturday, February 16th from the L.A. Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. Men’s pre-judging will start at 9:30 am PST, and the Men’s Final/Women’s Figure Final will start at 6:00 pm PST.

The 2008 Arnold Classic will be webcast live from Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio. You can watch the Ms. International, Fitness International and Figure International at 6:30 pm EST on Friday, February 29th. Tune in the next day, Saturday, March 1st at 11:30 am EST for men’s pre-judging and again at 6:30 pm EST for the Men’s Finals.

“The Iron Man Pro and the Arnold Classic are two of my favorite events. I’m very excited that we are able to webcast them live on the Internet for free, so that fans from all around the world can experience them”, says Bodybuilding.com CEO, Ryan DeLuca.

We asked IFBB pro bodybuilder A.D. Cherry how he felt upon learning that he was invited to the 2008 Arnold Classic. Here is his response:

I really feel great! I feel like this is an acceptance and and an opportunity to show my look and physique on the pro stage. I couldn’t ask for much more. I have never even been to Columbus before. This whole experience is just going to be great. I woke up today, the day after I learned I was invited, and said ‘I just cant believe it!’. I am really excited, happy and fired up. That is the motivation you need to get ready for this show.

This year, I had my first Christmas at my house, with my son and girlfriend, and we had the full Christmas dinner, turkey, stuffing and potatoes. The next evening, we went to the owner of Gold’s Gym Modesto for dinner, and now I am in some serious training, and I have eight weeks to get ready. I am going to do exactly what I did for the NPC Nationals, except to shoot for being 5lbs heavier with the same conditioning, but a little better.

I am focusing on bringing up my chest, and also the overall size of my legs. I want them to be thicker, and really striated then ever before. Wow, it will be exciting to be up on the Arnold stage with a great set of competitors, and I am looking forward to it. You got to have some new faces up on the Arnold stage, and I am going to work really hard to bring a good routine and presentation. It is an honor to be invited.

A.D. Cherry after winning his class at NPC Nationals.

20th Annual Arnold Classic Competitors List

After countless days of waiting, here is the competitors who will be in the 2008 Arnold Classic competitions.

Men’s Competitors

Melvin Anthony
Gustavo Badell
Adorthus Cherry
Toney Freeman
Kai Greene
Deshaun Grimez
Phil Heath
David Henry
Dexter Jackson
Johnnie Jackson
Victor Martinez
Desmond Miller
Ronny Rockel
Silvio Samuel
Branch Warren
Hidetada Yamagishi

Fitness International Competitors

Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Bethany Gainey
Tracey Greenwood
Oksana Grishina
Jen Hendershott
Kimberly Klein
Julie Lohre
Tanya Merryman
Mindi O’brien
Julie Palmer
Stacy Simons

Figure International Competitors

Sonia Adcock
Gina Aliotti
Paola Almerico
Catherine Andersen
Natalie Benson
Monica Brant-Peckham
Amy Fry
Bernadette Galvan
Jennifer Gates
Deborah Leung
Juliana Malacarne
Kristal Richardson
Chastity Slone
Brenda Marie Smith
Briana Tindall
Valerie Waugaman
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

Ms. International Competitors

Lisa Aukland
Tracy Beckham
Dayana Cadeau
Tazzie Columb
Iris Floyd Kyle
Kristy Hawkins
Rosemary Jennings
Debi Laszewski
Mah-Ann Mendoza
Colette Nelson
Yaxeni Oriquen
Betty Pariso
Brenda Raganot
Annie Rivieccio
Antoinette Thompson
Betty Viana-Adkins

“Pro Bodybuilding Weekly” the radio voice of professional bodybuilding, announces a new addition to the IFBB Contest Schedule. “The Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships” will debut in Tampa, Florida on August 9th. One of the premier locations on the 2008 IFBB schedule, the contest will take place on Florida’s west coast, just off the Gulf of Mexico. IFBB Pro League Chairman Jim Manion states, “Tampa has always been a hot bed for NPC bodybuilding and I’m looking forward to the first IFBB professional bodybuilding event held there in 2008,”

Under the direction of promoter Tim Gardner, The “Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships” will be the year’s only IFBB bodybuilding event staged in the Southeast region of the United States. The event will bring professional bodybuilding back to the State of Florida for the first time in 5 years.

PBW’s creator Dan Solomon explains, “The creation of the PBW Bodybuilding Championships is a great way for us to give something back to an industry that has helped us popularize bodybuilding talk radio.” Solomon continues, “The State of Florida has produced countless world class bodybuilders. We are excited to team up with one of the area’s top promoters, Tim Gardner, to bring pro bodybuilding back to the region. We expect to have an impressive lineup for this event.”

The “PBW Championships” will be held on August 9th at the prestigious Downtown Tampa Performing Arts Center, on the banks of the Hillsborough River located near the historic Ybor City district (The Marriott Waterside is the official host hotel). Event updates will be provided during the weekly PBW broadcasts and online at the PBW broadcast center – www.BodybuildingRadio.com

Presented by MuscleTech, PBW returns in January for its 4th season along with its 100th broadcast. The 2007 broadcast schedule included appearances by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Triple H, Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman, Jim Manion, Franco Columbu, Reg Park and a long list of bodybuilding celebrities. Bodybuilding’s #1 rated multi-media production can be replayed on-demand courtesy of Bodybuilding.com. For direct inquiries about the IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships, contact Tim Gardner at TGFlex@aol.com

The IFBB Houston Pro show, for bodybuilding, fitness and figure, was added to the official IFBB 2008 Contest schedule.  These contests will occur of the 2008 July 4th weekend, and are promoted by Lee Thompson, and Khalid Tibari.

 Here is the link for all of the 2008 IFBB pro bodybuilding, figure and fitness contests, updated as of December 23rd.

http://www.getbig.com/info/ifbb/ifbb-schedule2008.htm

Checking out the set and meeting all of the American Gladiators again after the last day of shooting was a treat. I had also visited the set on the first day of shooting, and today, the first season was complete, and we had a chance to interview and talk with everyone, including Hulk Hogan and  Laila Ali.  I took a number of pictures, and have lots of fun.

For the complete story and pictures, click on the link below

http://www.getbig.com/news/2007/12/20071215amglad.htm