The announcement of his name at the end of the show was still nearly three hours away, but Cutler appeared cool and confident each time he came under the bright lights. He certainly had a few things to worry about, especially from someone so close to him.

“Phil Heath is my best friend in bodybuilding,” said Cutler, “and he’s starting to catch up to me.”

The man known as The Gift sure is and took the runner-up spot behind his confidant and mentor. Branch Warren, who finished second last year, placed third. Dexter Jackson may have seen his best days already, but The Blade proved that he has plenty left in the tank, placing fourth.

The next two were very interesting. Dennis Wolf completed a shocking comeback by finishing fifth after not even placing in 2009. A beaming Wolf said upon his exit from the arena, “It was good for me.” And Ronny Rockell, who has been coming closer and closer each time, joined the top six for the first time. Kai Greene was lucky to take seventh with his roundness and Victor Martinez – who was in danger of dropping out of the top 10 after pre-judging – came in harder at the Finals and placed eighth. Both were unpopular decisions with the crowd, but were the right ones, nonetheless. Rounding out the top 10 were Toney Freeman and Hidetada Yamagishi.

In the 202 Showdown, Kevin English and David Henry took their rivalry to a new level. Henry appeared to have better definition but English had him in size. These two men just do not like each another and displayed as much on the side of the stage by not even acknowledging the other as they stood side-by-side waiting for the official announcement. It was apparent by his reaction that Henry was greatly disappointed. Eduardo Correa finished in third, Jose Raymond fourth, Jason Arntz fifth and Jaroslav Horvath sixth.

In the Figure Olympia, Nicole Wilkins Lee was unable to repeat as champion and Erin Stern took home the crown.

***We hate to brag, but we nailed the top six dead on after prejudging. Too bad Vegas doesn’t have a sports book for the O.

Photo by Francesco Pillari.

During a ceremony at City Hall on Friday, January 22, 2010, the Muscle Beach Venice Bodybuilding Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Inductee with his wife Betty, family and friends received recognition and acknowledgement for his 73 year commitment to his philosophy.

Standing proud, Joe acknowledged his meager beginnings in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He described his early achievements in publishing magazines, books and inventing equipment that supported weight training as a form of exercise. He went on to include nutrition in his publications and soon became the co-innovator and voice of the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB).  He described his dedication and persistence when the health care community including physicians and mental health workers thought his ideas were “nuts”.

Congratulations Joe!!! You were right! Today, the modern perspective includes strength training, aerobics and nutrition as the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

(Source – Joe Wheatly Productions, www.musclebeachvenice.com)

Unwrapped new toys can be donated at the Venice Recreation Center, 1800 Ocean Front Walk, Venice CA 90291 from 10 am – 4 pm on both days. The toys will be distributed by the LAPD Pacific Division to needy children in the Venice Community.

Santa is scheduled to arrive on Sunday December 13, 2009 at approximately 12:30 pm.

On Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 1 pm Muscle Beach will be commemorating it’s 75th Anniversary with the burial of Time Capsules. City dignitaries and industry icons are scheduled to attend including Franco Columbu, Joe Weider, Johnny Bench, Mike O’Hearn, Bill Grant and many more.

Please let me know if you need any additional information. We can arrange pre-drop time for product for the event.

Thanks for your support.

For information on Bill Grant’s Old School Training DVD and Creatine Cocktail supplement, please visit www.billgrant.net.

(Photo: MuscleSport Mag staff writers Bill Grant and Brenda Kelly by “The Pit.”)

The younger brother of Vic Tanny – who went on to become one of the pioneers of the gym industry – Armand won the 1949 Pro Mr. America and 1950 Mr. USA titles. He came to the forefront in “Strength & Health” magazine at the young age of 14.

The Rochester, New York native broke in to the business as a weightlifter, as many of the old-time bodybuilders did. He competed in that field as a teenager and placed second in the 1941 Junior nationals in Ohio. As many young men of the era did, Tanny joined the military when the United States became involved in World War II and he suffered a knee injury. 

Once back home, he turned to bodybuilding and could either be found at Muscle Beach or his brothers gym in Santa Monica. Tanny was also part of the Mae West traveling nightclub act, a group of which Zabo was also a part of.

Tanny delved into a brief acting career and also tried his hand at professional wrestling in the 1950s. He also joined the Joe Weider crew and was a writer for Muscle Power (the precursor of Muscle & Fitness) magazine.

Make sure to download this week’s episode of MuscleSport Radio, which included a special interview with legendary bodybuilder Bill Grant, the former Mr. America and Mr. World. Bill shares some great memories with us about being one of the early pioneers of the sport in Venice, California back in 1975. Gold’s Gym, better known as the ‘Mecca,’ and the motion picture “Pumping Iron” are just some of the topics discussed. Arnold, Vince Gironda and Joe Weider’s names also came up, so this is one show you will not want to miss.

Be sure to listen to ‘MuscleSport radio’ live every Tuesday from 3 to 4 pm (Eastern time) on www.blogtalkradio.com. Episodes can be heard live or via download on Blog Talk Radio, iTunes or MuscleSport Mag. On next week’s show, our special guest will be Boyer Coe. On 11/25/08, we will be joined by 1983 Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout.

When it first burst onto the bodybuilding scene, Muscle Media 2000 looked and read different from the other publications sitting on the newsstand. Bill Phillips was the right type of voice for the gym set and didn’t pull any punches, coming straight out and admitting his own steroid use. Where as the others tried to sugar coat the use of performance-enhancing drugs in bodybuilding, MM2K seemed to embrace it. They claimed to be a trend-setter by not being held hostage to advertising, a welcome break from the norm.

While all of this seemed to be a great variation, Phillips ultimately used the magazine as a platform to promote the supplements he was behind. Met-Rx and EAS were promoted liberally throughout the slick.

According to www.getbig.com, MM2K “took on hard subjects such as the ever-controversial issue of steroids in bodybuilding, and dealt with them in an informative manner.” One article of substance to prove that was when members of the staff took a trip down to Mexico and purchased anabolic steroids openly in ‘pharmacias.’

The magazine had similar auspicious beginnings as Joe Weider’s Your Physique, the pre-cursor of Muscle & Fitness. In 1985, Phillips began writing and printing a newsletter in his mother’s house – as Weider did. But Phillips’ content was not about getting in shape, but rather The Anabolic Reference Update spoke of steroids. After seven years, the name and format were changed to Muscle Media 2000, and keeping with it’s underground status, it continued to teach about steroids, not only the use but even smuggling tips.

Once Dan ‘The Steroid Guru’ Duchaine was signed up as a regular columnist, MM2K was cemented as the one and only publication with balls. Phillips also stated that he would foot the bill for testing of supplements to see if they met their claims before allowing them to advertise in his pages. That lasted until Met-Rx came along.

A marketing and advertising campaign was launched by Phillips, Dr. A Scott Connelly (creator of Met-Rx and business partner of Phillips), bodybuilders Lee Labrada and Jeff Everson, and James Bradshaw, a convicted steroids dealer. All five made a ton of money before the partnership fizzled as a result of a disagreement on the distribution of Met-Rx.

In 1996, Phillips acquired EAS on the rebound and started to become almost like a fitness advisor to the stars, including Jose Canseco, Sylvester Stallone, John Elway and even Jerry Seinfeld. All of those millions may have gone to his head and by July 1997, he had dropped 2000 from the magazine title and began targeting more of a mainstream audience. While this may have looked like a move to gain more readers, it became the first step in the death knell of the magazine. The hardcore readership left with the new direction and by 2004, it was gone.

Phillips ended up doing quite well with his Body for Life book and exercise program, which spawned his Eating for Life book. He may have ‘sold out’ in some people’s minds, but business decisions that end up creating large capital are hard to knock. Phillips did hold a captive audience for a long time with MM2K, and that publication will always be remembered as a one of a kind.

To be considered one of the pioneers and a legend in your sport is something that can never go away. Even if he never picked up a weight again, Robby Robinson would always be one of the elite bodybuilders of all time.

While most men at the age of 62 find more time to sit around than exercise and have a diet that make their doctors turn red, the man known as “The Black Prince” still busts it in the gym and has not ‘enjoyed’ as much as piece of pie in over 20 years.

Never one to not speak his mind during the ‘golden age of bodybuilding,’ Robinson still has that trait and it is part of what has made him so great while being understood in certain circles. He has his own opinion on some of the biggest names in his sport and others, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Weider, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.

“I love my sport, but the business has to come out of the hole,” Robinson said. “All the money that ‘The Classic’ – they used to call it the ‘Arnold Classic’ – is making, that you only have a $150,000 paycheck?

“Bodybuilders have come up to me recently and said they’re not happy,” continued Robinson. “They deserve more. From the Weiders and from the Governor. No disrespect.”

Back in the 1980s, Robinson actually moved out of the United States to “escape the destructive politics of the business,” having strong feelings about corruption in bodybuilding and steroid abuse.

“There’s a lot of drugs in the sport,” he said. “To be 300 pounds and come down to 260 or 250… I think the government ought to do something.” Robinson made his point clear, but also was up front about his own use. “I never took drugs when I came here (to California from Florida) in 1975. The first time I got involved was two weeks before Mr. World. I took the shot – which was primo depot – and remembered going home and sitting down and the whole room started spinning.”

During his competing days, Robinson would not use steroids during the offseason, but said that when he was eight weeks out, he would take something every two weeks.

“I still practiced that until I retired,” he said. “Recently, B-12 was low in my body, and I know that was from steroid use.”

Regarding the popularity of the sport, Robinson feels that the powers that be are deliberately holding it back. “They’re trying to keep it down because of the drugs,” he said. “We’re not in a big light. It’s more of a sub-culture, a cult sport. It’s (stopping steroids) going to take away from it. The government will get involved – like (Roger) Clemens and (Barry) Bonds.”

Robinson feels that the baseball players named in the Mitchell Report are getting a “bad rap,” and all the injuries this season are not a coincidence.

“Take (Jason) Giambi,” he said. “When you use that stuff (steroids), you get blown up. When you stop, you’re weaker.

“Barry (Bonds) got nastier,” continued Robinson. “I love the guy, but c’mon!”

Very opinionated. Very intelligent. And very charismatic. That’s Robby Robinson. A bodybuilder who says that he will continue working out “until the end of time,” and no one would argue that.

Photo courtesy of Robby Robinson. (left to right) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ed Corney, Robby Robinson, Mike Mentzer, Ken Waller