Olympia Blog

It was fantastic!!! I was all excited like a kid at Christmas. I met so many great people and witnessed one of the most amazing shows on the planet from a floor seat. Victor martinez was my winner hands down! I worked in the Ironman booth and had the pleasure of dining with the fine people of Ironman magazine who graciously provided my tickets to the shows. I met one of my best friends Rob Carbo from RealGainz magazine and had my 1st photoshoots. 3 in a row actually. I got to visit Red Rock out there and the scenery is beautiful. I worked with Dave Goodin in the booth and he is a wonderful and kind man.

Everyone was terribly nice and made my weekend the best I have ever had. okay, I had to sleep in an airport chair in Philly overnight and arrived a day late, but I am going to overlook that part. I met with the brainiacs of gaspari nutrition and the invited me to join their team to help women understand supplemental needs. Keep your eye out for the new addition to their forums (addressing women and their need to take supplements as much as men do.) I appreciate their realization that women are pretty much sold fat burners exclusively and left in the dark about everything else available! THAT needs to change! Hope everyone had a super week. i was jet lagged and dragging ass,but managed a few workouts this week. Drop by my profile and say hi.

Fern

Post by: MsFitness

Let’s see…  I met dave G for breakfast.  Spinach omelets are the shit! The expo was really crowded on Saturday.  Then my friend Rob Carbo showed up and made my day!  We had been friends since March and he helped me with my contest deplete and my crazy carb depleted chick emotions.  He is bigger than life!  I introduced myself to Charles Glass.  You can see him on here in "getting cut with Glass". I really wanted to meet him because it’s his videos I get most of my training tips from.  I could never afford a personal trainer on my own, so I walked up to him and told him so!! I also got approached by NBC for their American Gladiator series.  Yeah right, I was thinking!  I asked competitor or Gladiator and they said either.  I’m too old to get hit full force by another human being.  I like my kidneys, thanks!! I’m trying to think what else happened.  I did go off to look around a little, took a peek at the guys in the UFC booth.  Forrest Griffin was there, but you had to pay for autographs.that’s just bullshit if you ask me.  people with money shouldn’t be able to get everything, you know? What if you are some little kids idol and he finds out you don’t evn give a crap he is your fan. Lou Ferigno was there and you had to buy a picture just to take a picture with him.  Whatever happened to a little PR?

The expo was great otherwise.  i took some video of this little kid who is about 8 kicking ass using weapons in his  little karate uniform.  Ok, don’t know all the lingo for that sport but the kid was amazing!! I then ran into crazyhorse and jumped over to the Gaspari boot to meet Dan and see what was up with them.  He and I did an interview.  I looked bad, he looked good, I was nervous and my accent was so bad, he dropped the "f" bomb..hahhaaaaaaaa.  too funny.  He introduced me to the VP of marketing Joe V and we just chatted a little about their stack they were trying to get women to take.  It’s the same as the male version for the most part,but women are scared of the "sizeon" due to the word size alone.  As for pre workout drinks, like Superpump250,most women skip them altogether.  they know I used them, know I don’t talk crap and misleadpeople on products I don’t believe in…so they asked me to be part of the team.  There will a new section of their forum for women Not sure if I can say the new name yet, but anyway, it’s about what women can  take in supplements and a general Q&A.  Possibly some other stuff in the future as well. Onto the next night of the Mr Olympia show…….

1st off, tickets were a problem.  I did score one from the Ironman team, but it wasn’t on the floor and they thought they could get me xdown there, but it was a hassle, so I sat with Dave in the back. This was the big night!  The posedowns!!

My man Victor was tight!  I thought he had it all the way. Jay looked better on the 2nd night, but I am just not impressed with his physique.  Going for sheer size.maybe, but aesthetics?  NEVER. Ronny Rockel looked amazing as well.  Ronnie Coleman, massive in size was nearly matched size with Dennis Wolf and these 2 were often put against each other in pre judging.  Dennis Wolf had alot of new fans there!  I think he was a huge crowd favorite.  then there was a teary eyed Coleman, giving his speech as it was his last show ever! Everytime he launched into a most muscualr pose, the audience went nuts.  he got a standing ovation.  As for the posedowns…..as a chick, (yes, I am still a girl) it was HOT. Jay would walk to one end of the stage and the others would follow, all trying to out do each other. Then Victor would turn in front of him and pull a lat spread that was out of this world. I was once again like a kid at Christmas…amazed..I am truly a geek.  Thats kind of a good thing because many people at my age have done many thing.  I have experienced nothing like this, no traveling,no plane rides, just going to work and taking care of kids.  Almost everything I see still amazes me.  NEVER lose your childish wonder people.  I was very dissapointed the Victor didn’t win.  HANDS DOWN, he should have one.  yes, i know I will get someone here who is going to argue with me, but too bad.  The guy is fantastic. HUGE with a small waist, no bloat, ripped….and he has a good looking face to boot.  What else to write about?  Went to dinner after my major upset with a couple people from Ironman.  It was sweet because I got to have filet mignon!  Holy crap…real beef! Oh, and who can resist garlic mashed potatoes? Notme dammit!! ARE YOU STILL READING? It was a looooooong day……I probably left stuff out.  after that we went to the Rio hotels rooftop club called VOODOO.  There I met the Gaspari Girls and that dude with the crazy tat in the cytolean ads who used to weigh 300lbs, but is now ripped. I also met their spokesmodel Marzia Prince  who wom Miss Bikini universe .  She’s really very sweet and friggin funny!  No mistaking a bikini model, that’s for sure! Tanji Johnson was there too as well as Dan. I admit to having 2 drinks, but that’s it.  OH, standing in line for the ladies room, some drunk guy tried to feel me up…….his hand kept coming closer and I had to smack him.  I then told him if he touched me, he’d lose his front teeth. Cocktail dress or no cocktail dress…….

Thats about it.  It flew by…the whole Saturday.  I got back to my hotel at 2:15 am and had to get up at 7am to get ready for my photoshoots and pack my bags .  checkout was at 11am..THAT SUCKED.

i’ll finish up the story tomorrow.  I did workout last night.  I did abs and lats and am so sore.  No workout tonight.  It’s UFC night…time to chill.  I also threw in some legs cus I am back on 2 legs day a week.  still not happy with the quads.  I want them more ripped and need size, so when I lose some of the fat, I do not end up with chicken legs…ya know? I did 15 of cardio.  I still feel tired….

Note: originally posted here.

Post by: MsFitness

It was a pleasure to meet so many of the people from bodyspace. It was a long weekend of taking photos, videos, interviews and trying to squeeze in some sleep. I’ve received a number of emails from people thanking us for the coverage. We’re glad you like it. We strive to bring the best content to everyone here on bodyspace.

I let myself get a little run down and sick while in Vegas. I will be blogging more in the next couple days once I finally get some sleep.

The funniest thing all weekend was the Mr. Puniverse Contest. If you haven’t watched the video or checked out the photos, you have to do so! It was classic.

Post by: liftstudios

One word…AMAZING!

I am so impressed with how much the sport has grown in the last year. This was my third year and it was bigger and better than ever. Last year The Orleans was only about half full..this year, I wasn’t able to get tickets to the finals!! Thank goodness for BB.com’s live webcast ;o) The expo was a blast as usual. Free samples were pretty much gone by late morning on Saturday. I honestly came home with $200 worth of free stuff..all for $10! Can’t beat that!

So about the shows..First off congrats to all the overall winners..Jay..Iris..Adela..Jenny. EVERYONE on that stage was a winner. The competition was so close in every event.

Here is a little opinion on each:

Fitness Olympia..I love all the competitors and really enjoyed the routines..Jen Hendershott was a classic as usual. She is one of my faves ) Kim Klein is going to take the title soon enough..her physique was great and her gymnastics abilities are amazing. I was a little disappointed in the placing for Heidi Fletcher..I think she really deserved a better placing and more callouts during prejudging. I don’t think she is getting the credit she deserves. Adela’s physique was so incredible this year…I enjoy her routines but I feel like it was missing a little something this year. She deserved her the title none the less..Next year should be interesting!!

Ms. Olympia..Very underrated..I feel these women don’t get the attention they deserve. I thought they all looked great and was especially impressed with Lisa Aukland..did she look great or what! I also give all the credit in the world to Betty Pariso..if I can look half as great when I am her age! Wow. It was a close call between all the competitors, especially between Davana and Iris. I really wasn’t sure what the result was going to be…again next year will be interesting!

Figure…Oh boy…this is where my upset was…I am a huge Monica Brant fan and was sooooo disappointed in her placing. I don’t know what the judges want from her. I think she brings her A game every year and this year she got shafted big time. I definitely think Jenny deserved her first place title. Oh and let’s not forget Jennifer Gates…watch out for her next year!!!

Mr. O..Well I can’t complain about this one. Jay is from my home state. I have been rooting for him for years! So glad he won..but Victor…wow..How close was that! I think Jay was carrying a little too much water during prejudging and he did what he needed to do by Finals. If not, I think VM would have taken it. Dennis Wolf, another one to look out for. I thought he should have placed third in this one. These boys better bring their A game next year because this year was way too close!

Overall, the weekend was a blast…it is such an amazing feeling to be surrounded by so many people who work so hard year round..not only the competitors but the people who come just to enjoy the show. Makes you realize that when you feel like you are the only one doing extra cardio, pushing hard in the gym, and saying no to something yummy..you are NOT the only one..there are hundreds of people who are working just as hard if not harder! I can’t wait for next year..hopefully I will be bringing my A game ;o)

xoxo..FP

Post by: FitnessPeanut

I received this email and photos from Barbie Barbell and Mark Harris regarding this past weekend’s Olympia, and am posting them here with their permission.  Enjoy!

“OK I just got back from the Olympia out in Las Vegas. I was sent out by EFX Nutrition as a sponsored athlete and they treated me and my Dad like royalty.

I signed over 400 autographs and took hundreds of pictures with fans and other athletes from around the world. I had Flex Magazine and Iron Man Magazine come by and take pictures too. Bodybuilding.com came by and interviewed me they are super and always show great interest in me. Thanks Guys!!!!

The men’s finals on Saturday night was just awesome. I have never in my life seen so much muscle in one room. These guys are giants and some do not even look human, more like robots. Jay Cutler won the show and the legend Ronnie Coleman took 4th place and that was his final Olympia.

I want to Thank EFX Nutrition for their awesome support of me and I will be with them for a long time. Take a look at the interview and I am going to add some pictures too.”

Peace,
Barbie Barbell

These photos and the video interview were taken on Saturday at the EFX Nutrition Booth at the 2007 Olympia Expo.  Thank you Richard from Bodybuilding.com for all of your support!!!!!

The video interview is here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2007olympia_vids.htm

Post by: bbcom_developer

Hey everyone!  Here are some shots from the expo and show.  Hope you enjoy them.  T-

Expo-Did you stop by the Bodybuilding.com booth- I did!

The stage was set- The Finals!

Most of the top six

Must pay tribute-  Ronnie Coleman, 4th Place

The Top Three

Dexter “The Blade” Jackson, 3rd Place

Victor Martinez, 2nd Place

Jay Cutler, Mr. Olympia 2007

Post by: arieseyes

Four “I Do’s” and two marriages happened in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on Sunday, October 1st at Caesar’s Palace, right after the 2006 Olympia…

Our very own Masters World Champion, Bob Cicherillo married his wonderful fiancé, Tocha, and just a few short hours later, Figure Pro Jessica Paxson married bodybuilding rising star, Peter Putnam!

Caesar’s Palace is one amazing place to get married. All at once it is elegant, comfortable and huge, well fitted to marriages in the bodybuilding world. And you can always find a few extra special guests to add the right theme to the day.

Now, I truly don’t know how Bob was able to get on with the day. He had just spent a late night with post-Olympia business and my makeup artist and second photographer arrived at his suite at 7 AM to start getting the things going. So while the women were getting makeup and hair done, Bob and the guys, friends and family and myself, met downstairs for breakfast.

I was surprised to see most of Bob’s family already in tuxedos, but they were a pretty excited bunch and having a lot of fun. And not to be missed was Bob’s best buddy, Tom Prince.

It wasn’t too long in the restaurant, when we saw Jessica Paxson come in joining her family for breakfast. Jess was amazingly beautiful and, considering the weekend, really well composed! She had just been on stage competing and now she was going to be a bride in a few hours. Someone is going to have to check the record books and see if two competitor weddings have ever happened before on an Olympia weekend.

Time was getting close now - Bob & Tocha were due to get married at 12:30, so off to finish getting ready we went. Outside the entrance to the Terrazza Garden, it was my luck that I walked into the big three. No, not Jay, Ronnie and Victor…

The really big three - of BodyBuilding.com! Ryan, Jeremy and Russ DeLuca. Yes, these are the guys behind it and their wives. And a nicer bunch of people you will not meet.

BodyBuilding.com might be pretty big company, but it is a bunch of regular people behind it and that is one reason I like doing business with them and I hope all of you do, too.

As we all gathered in the garden, time moved forward (as it always does), the music played and a big smile crossed Tocha’s face as she walked down the aisle. I could also see a glint in the big guy’s eyes - Bob tends to be a very confident person, and I could see that he knew that this was the right woman and the right time. And before you knew it, Pastor Mike announced the new Mr. & Mrs. Bob & Tocha Cicherillo!

Everybody probably has some kind of idea as to who would be at a bodybuilder’s wedding as guests. But just like the rest of us, it is obviously a lot of family and friends. Bob has been a big name in bodybuilding for a long time, so we did find some other big names in the business at the ceremony and reception, which also was at Caesars.

I hope I don’t miss too many people, but we saw Peter McGough, editorial director for the Flex - Muscle & Fitness - AMI etc, Shawn Perine, senior writer for Flex and bodybuilding historian, Joe Antouri, founder of The Private Trainers Association and a man with always a kind word and smile, Mac McCabe, President of Egg Whites and Bob’s better in the game of golf, the always energetic Travis Chapman from The Fit Show.

Then there was this guy on his cell phone… Also having spent the night as co-emcee with Bob for the Olympia, Shawn Ray was present and accounted for, looking very fit. You might be wondering why Shawn is grinning and has his eyes closed. Well, finding Shawn on his cell phone is not that hard to do but I always seem to be there to take a photo when he is.

While Bob’s day was winding down, Jessica Paxson and Peter Putnam started their new life together. With family and friends from around the country, they were married only three hours after Bob & Tocha. This is a good looking couple with a great deal in common. And I must tell you that their families just seemed like one big family already.

We were all taken away by limousines to their reception where you could not have found a bunch of people having more fun. This is the type of thing that makes being the wedding photographer just great, you get to share with people one of the most important times of their lives. And I can’t tell you how much I enjoy Jessica and Peter and their familes.

Looking back on it, this was one very special Olympia - a lot happened. I was there in Las Vegas for six very big days and nights covering everything, a lot more than most people got to see. And I can tell you that everyone who came away from this Olympia felt it’s impact.

The Olympia changed for the better, regardless of how you feel about who won or lost.  The show went great, records were broken, new winners were crowned, and the sport got a big boost. And two wonderful couples got married. Now, how are we going to top this for next year? Thanks!

Where to begin? I had a great time this year as I actually wasn’t dieting for a show so I was able to relax & enjoy the atmosphere.

The booth did really well and I had a lot of fun meeting many people. Particular highlights were meeting Bodybuilding.com forum members Zach, Alex (a client of mine for around a year now), seeing my buddy Brian Ahlstrom again (another client of mine who also won his class at the show where I won my NGA natural pro card), meeting John & the crew (LOL), and especially cool was meeting a young couple (the Millers) who were just married that day in vegas and still came by the expo and I was flattered to find out that one of the reasons they came was to stop by and talk to me. It was a joy meeting a young loving couple as Isabel & I recently got engaged! So everyone join me in wishing the Millers a lovely marraige!

The other highlights were training at the kickass Gold’s in Vegas. I could literally stay in there for hours and hours. Loved it! On Sunday, we were there while Victor Martinez was doing a shoot for MD, unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me. Victor was extremely nice and we chatted about various things for around 20 minutes. He was very geniuinely excited about his placing and you could still see it in his facial expressions: ear to ear smile.

I would also like to congratulate Jay Cutler.  He showed a ton of heart, losing 5 years in a row to finally topple one of the greatest Mr. Olympia’s in history.  I am actually not a big Jay Cutler fan, and in all honesty I thought Ronnie had won most of the Mr. Olympia’s by a wide margin.  But on this day Ronnie was off & Jay nailed it: kudos to him!

It’s all about the ‘O’ - isn’t it though? The “O” (Olympia) is the be-all and end-all of this industry ~ if you’re in it, you’re cool. Well, maybe not cool, but considered one of the top athletes in the world - and you get to compete and stand on stage, side by side, with all of the same people you’ve admired and worshipped in the magazines. It’s truly an awesome experience.

From the time you qualify to the moment you check out of your hotel, you are taken care of and made sure to know what’s going on, where to be, what to wear and every important detail to make settle your nerves and make you feel comfortable, prepared and calm. The organizers and everyone involved go to great lengths to make the event an awesome show, not only for the audience ticket holders, but for the athletes as well. Plus lots of nice gifts and promotional freebies and opportunities to make some money, sell photos, and mingle with the fans. The excitement and positive energy is just incredible; from the press conference to the after party, through the entire weekend ~ there’s never a dull moment.

They make sure we are rested, fed, clothed, and where we need to be at any given moment, complete with reminder phone calls to the room and which dot to stand on once onstage. Wow, these guys and gals deserve much more than a pat on the back. They are worthy of much more thanks and appreciation than they probably get. Hope they got lots of nice thank you notes, emails and a big paycheck.  They sure deserve it!

Me (in front) & friends at 2007 Olympia qualifier, Palm Beach Pro

The show itself is spectacular from the backstage point of view. The stage makes you feel like a rock star, the crowd is so excited because the night shows are the culmination of the whole weekend and its amazing. The announcers introduce you, tell where you’re from so you can represent your home town and network with others who may have something in common with you or didn’t know you were there competing. I ran into many friends and acquaintances during and after the show and reconnected with them. It was so fun! Plus the live webcast made it possible to say hello to family, friends and loved ones who couldn’t be there. We even got to watch the show on monitors backstage from the crowd’s perspective, so we could watch the competitors, cheer on our friends and watch the greatest show on earth!!  

The dressing rooms were beautiful, the camera crews and photographers for the magazines and the reporters were all so nice and just really made the show and the backstage that much more fun and exciting. And the music and television guys were nice and friendly and very professional too. In fact, everyone involved ~ from the expediters to the maintenance crew ~ were polite, professional and made everything much easier than it could have been.

All in all. it was the best experience. I’ve competed in the Fitness Olympia now twice and just qualified for the 2007 Fitness Olympia last weekend at the first ever West Palm Beach IFBB Pro Fitness & Figure. Looking forward to 2007!!

I was going to be adding a few more photos to the Blog but I have also had a number of e-mails and phone calls asking why I have not written an article about this Olympia. A lot of people have already written some really good and interesting stories so I though I would just go back and add some photos and a brief story from my personal observations from each part of the big O.

I really look forward to the press conference which is the first real event of the O experience. It is a lot of fun and it does really set the stage for the weekend. This was held at the Orleans Arena and a very enthusiastic crowd filled the room. In the audience you found everyone from pro athletes, the photographers and writers from the magazines and the real fans of bodybuilding. I think I was one of the very few people that recognized Phil Heath very well hidden away for some reason. I think he was just having fun not being noticed because actually he is just a really nice, easy going guy. For those of you saying, Phil who?, Phil is a rising star in bodybuilding. He qualified for the O but decided to pass on this one, knowing that he still needs more work to be successful at this level. We can expect to see Phil on stage at the Arnold in March 2007.

The first half of this press conference was all about the women. Taking their seats were the women bodybuilders, fitness and figure athletes. And the emcees were our own World Champion, Bob Cicherillo and an especially beautiful that night, Kim Lyons. Kim made a name for herself in this business by being a very successful fitness competitor. And now she has gone on to be the star and trainer on the television show “The Biggest Loser”. To top off a big year for Kim, she is also now engaged to pro Gunter Schlierkamp.

The program is a question and answer period for the athletes. We know Bob can be pretty biting and does not often hold back and I was surprised to see Kim keeping right up with him. They did ask some pretty direct questions and certainly tried to stir up trouble. That was especially easy to do with the fitness competitors. Some of course is planned and orchestrated and some is not. Now in that planned and orchestrated category, there is always something cooked up for the press conference. You can always depend on someone dropping their clothes. It could have been a bunch of the guys but this time it was Iris Kyle and Dayana Cadeau. Iris and Dayana are at the top of their game and are rivals on the stage. But they are also best friends so it was not surprising to see them taking it to the crowd together. This was for sure a “Wow” moment. You have to watch for those when you are taking photos.

Then it was on to the guys. This time emceed by the co-hosts of Pro Bodybuilding Weekly, Dan Solomon and again, Bob Cicherillo. I want to say something about this “radio” show. It is called “radio” for lack of a better term. You can listen to it online and you can also download it as a podcast, which is what I do. Then I listen to it when I travel, on airplanes, or on the dreaded treadmill. Pro Bodybuilding Weekly has become wildly successful. I had my doubts that this would take off, after all, what could be more visual than bodybuilding and they made it a “radio” show. But successful it is and it is deserved. Bob and Dan move it along, it is interesting and the hour goes by very quickly. I must say I look forward to it each week.

Bob and Dan brought the concept of the show to the press conference. It was well organized, they asked the questions we wanted asked and they both stirred up some trouble. These two guys are really good and this was the best press conference yet. The questioning was also taken to the audience which included both the fans and the bodybuilding press. Now I can say that I was not riveted to my seat with the questions asked by the industry media. Nothing personal, just not exciting. The one thing I did find interesting were the questions that were inevitable and asked by the fans about the new PDI federation and the suspension of Lee Priest. For those of you who have not followed this drama, Lee was qualified for the Olympia but joined the PDI and did a PDI sanctioned competition. This was in violation of IFBB rules and he was suspended. By the way, I have nothing against Lee, I like the guy. But he has a fan following and there has been a lot of name calling and griping on the internet forums about this. Well like I said it was inevitable that the fans would ask the athletes questions about Lee being suspended. I do believe they thought there would be support for this new federation. But what the fans found out was that the other athletes do not support Lee at all and are not running over to sign up at PDI. There were no double meaning answers, there were no second guesses. The athletes said very simply, Lee broke the rules and that is that. That is perhaps the most important specific thing I saw come out of the press conference.

Anyway if I have not bored you too much, please leave me a comment. I will upload another segment and some more photos soon. Thanks!

Now that things have settled down a bit since the Olympia, we can now take a look back at a subject that I wrote about in an earlier blog, and that is the Saturday night show’s production. And as I expected, the show production was much better this year, thanks in part to the co-hosts Bob Chic and Shawn Ray.

This year, the show started right on time as Bob and Shawn came out right at 7pm and got down to business. They spoke for a bit as we got our first sample on how the night would be. I must say I was impressed with their presense. Bob came out and gave a quick intro as Shawn kept more quiet and threw in a few comments. It almost seemed early on that Bob felt comfortable on stage with the mic, and Shawn was a little nervous. However, they both quickly got on the same page and everything was smooth together.

The first competitors that they brought out on stage were the figure ladies. Bob and Shawn introduced them all and each one of them came out and hit a few shots. One competitor was hitting a back shot when she accidently unhooked her top! Luckily she was facing the other way to save some embarassment. This got the most crowd reaction in the figure event, even though it was still small. As far as production, this section of the show was smooth. The transitions betweeen competitors was quick and easy. Nothing too complicated here, just calling out each name as they came on stage for a few minutes. Once all of them were done, they filed backstage to get ready for the two-piece round.

Without any BS between rounds, Bob and Shawn stated that we would now start the posing rounds for the men. And unlike previous years, they actually started when they said they would. Each of 15 (of 22) competitors came out and did their posing without a hitch. The music, the intro’s, and the commentary was perfect. Not too much was said by Bob and Shawn except a few small comments and the introduction of the men. This is almost the opposite of what has been done at other competitions where after each posing routine, the host would try to make a joke or tell a story. There is nothing wrong with this, but at times it can get repetitive and non-humorous.

Without boring you guys with the rest of the shows details (you can look at Richard’s review below for details), I will just continue to say what a great job that was done this year. Between commentary of the hosts, the transistions between atheletes, and the down time between rounds, the show was flawless. Taking out all the unnecissary junk (like the challenge round), it enabled things to work this well. I would like to send out a big thank you to Bob, Shawn, AMI, Weider, and all others who helped make this show a sucess. It was great for the fans and great for the sport. I really hope that they continue this path in the following years.

I had a great time at the 2006 Olympia Weekend, and hope everyone else did, too.  Here is my review of the 2006 Olympia Weekend, enjoy!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2006olympia_review.htm