The show big report: random acts of muscle in celebrity-land

Flex, August, 2003 by Greg Merritt

Before two-time Mr. Olympia Franca Columbu began headlining in his own straight-to-video flicks, he popped up in minor roles in major productions (often starring friend Arnold Schwarzenegger). In the tradition of the trivial pursuit "Where's Waldo?" you can search for Columbu in these Ronald Reagan-era films and TV movies.

1 The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980)

2 Conan the Barbarian (1982)

3 Getting Physical (1984)

4 The Terminator (1984)

5 The Running Man (1987)

6 Big Top Pee Wee (1988)

ANSWERS

1 Appears as himself.

2 Covered in paint, he plays a scout for the Pictish warriors.

3 Appears as himself.

4 In a "flash forward" scene, he plays the rampaging Future Terminator.

5 He's 911 Security Officer #2.

6 He plays Orin the Strongman.

Good Pub

Arnold Schwarzenegger received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Publicist's Guild, the organization of entertainment industry flacks. The guild singled him out for the manner in which the Oak has used his bodybuilding and acting fame for the greater public good. Schwarzenegger was presented the award by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who said: "The dedication and enterprise he brings to a wide variety of causes, particularly those involving children, is truly out of the ordinary."

Video Store Shelf

* Ray Routledge, 1961 AAU Mr. America and NABBA Mr. Universe, appears in The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971), a dud that proves two heads aren't always better than one.

* Female bodybuilding pioneer Lisa Lyon plays Cimmaron in Vamp (1986), a low-budget vampire flick starring fat-free androgyne Grace Jones.

* Wanted: Bodybuilder big enough to play a bouncer in a Shaquille O'Neal movie. Although he never won a pro card, Rory Leidelmeyer did win the doorman role in the Shaq flop Kazaam (1996). Leidelmeyer finished second among the heavyweights at the 1983 NPC Nationals.

DVD Tales

* When is ultimate not ultimate? Apparently when it's the Ultimate Edition DVD for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This release is a mainstay near the top of many "best DVD ever" lists. And yet in conjunction with T3's release, along comes the T2 Extreme DVD with a new transfer and new extras ($29.98).

* At the other end of the popularity spectrum is last year's Invincible, which screened in only a few American theaters. Now everyone from Portland to Peoria can catch it on DVD ($26.98). The film is based on the true story of a Jewish strongman (played by two-time world's strongest man Jouko Ahola) in Nazi Germany.

* The premiere episode of The Incredible Hulk and the two-hour episode "Married" have been paired together on one DVD. The disc includes an introduction by star Lou Ferrigno, commentaries by director/writer Kenneth Johnson and several tie-ins with the new Hulk movie ($19.98).

In Da Gym

The year's hottest new rapper, 50 Cent, has stirred up attention for both his rhymes and his physique. The 26-year-old New Yorker earned his abs the hard way, going from fat to cut after he was shot nine times and couldn't eat solid food for six weeks. In the video for "In Da Club," which depicts 50 as a superhuman partying machine, his tattooed arms and delts appear swollen enough to remind us of the original clubbin' superhero, Chris Cormier. But the camera adds pounds, and lighting and low angles can multiply the addition. On the cover of Vibe, 50 looked like a middleweight. He'd be in the mix of a best-built rapper posedown, but, by bodybuilding standards, 50 Cent needs a few less "bottles full of bub" and a few more "blenders full of pro"--"pro" as in protein shakes.