The schedule for the New York City Food Film Festival has been updated and the Wing Bowl 13 documentary “Swallow Your Pride” has replaced “Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating” on the listing for June 21.

Watching the films are free but food must be preordered.

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Time.com has an article about the planned redevelopment of Coney Island. There has been another proposed redevelopment that did not materialize:

The locals are particularly concerned, since some of Sitt’s actions– he demolished go-karts and batting cages this winter, long before he could start building anything to replace them–evoke one of the darker chapters in Coney Island redevelopment. In 1966, Fred Trump (Donald’s father) tore down the Steeplechase amusement park to try to prod the city into letting him build high-rise housing. When the city didn’t, Trump let the lot lie vacant–until the city bought him out.

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FoxNews.com has an article and gallery (more pictures) about the wedding cake eating contest held to promote the new season of WE TV’s “Bridezillas”. Stephanie Florio, of Sayville, N.Y., was declared the winner. Her $25,000 prize puts her in second place in the 2007 money listing.

update wifr.com has a news video clip

update #2 NY Daily News reports that Ms. Florio was credited with 9 of the mini-cakes in 2 minutes

Metro.co.uk has an article with a video

Reuters also has a video

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There are two good galleries of last month’s Trip Rewards eating contest by clearrants and redmond ridgeback

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Erik Denmark’s blog has a link to a podcast of a radio interview he did after his victory in the Shea Stadium qualifier

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AICE News reports that it will sanction the 30 inch hot dog eating contest to be held during the June 21 session of the New York Food Film Festival. “Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating”, a documentary starring Crazy Legs Conti, will be screened that evening and Conti will be present to answer questions about the film. Joe Menchetti is expected to defend his title.

AICE News also reports that “Swallow Your Pride” will be screened, but the Wing Bowl 13 documentary does not appear on the festival schedule.

update The schedule has been updated and “Zen” and Conti’s Q&A have been removed. “Swallow Your Pride” will most likely take its place

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Erik “the Red” Denmark has posted a report from his victory at Sunday’s Shea stadium qualifier along with a link to a flickr gallery of the contest.

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From NY Daily News:

WE (Women’s Entertainment) will usher in the June 17 premiere of the fourth season of “Bridezillas” with a ferocious wedding-cake eating contest in Times Square Tuesday at 8 a.m. Brides, bring your forks!

More on the contest and entry information can be found on plj.com First prize is $25,000 towards a dream wedding.

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Gothamist has an interview with Guardian Angels founder and talk radio host Curtis Sliwa. In addition to the opening of a Guardian Angels chapter in Cape Town, South Africa, stickball, and his hatred of Manhattan, Sliwa also discusses his competitive eating history:

Let’s switch focus from the Guardian Angels to competitive eating. How did you become a world champion pickle eater and do you have any plans to return to the world of competitive eating?

I established the world record one year at one and three quarter pounds. The contest took place on the lower East Side of Manhattan. I had done it because I was recovering from gunshot wounds that were inflicted on me by John Gotti Jr’s goons in the summer of 1992. One of the remedies was liquid penicillin- chicken soup. It came from the second avenue deli. The owner, Abe Lebewohl, would send it over each day and even inquire about my health. Unfortunately, he was the victim of violent crime. He was held up at gunpoint, shot, and killed. He had asked me to participate in this contest to represent the lower east side. I could barely consume solid food at that time and I had agreed. That was the first big solid food I’d had, which might be how I was able to set the world record, but I’d also won the contest three times after.

Unfortunately, I’ve suffered gastronomical depression. My head has revolted against my stomach. The stomach wants to continue but the mind has reached a wall. In my last pickle competition, I was so weak that I didn’t even place into the show. I placed third one year at the 4th of July Dirty Water Hot Dog Eating Contest at Nathans, with 16 hot dogs in 12 minutes. That was back in the late 90’s. Now that wouldn’t even qualify you to get into the contest. So, the world of competitive eating has passed this older timer by.

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Brian Seiken has uploaded the episode of his television program recorded at today’s qualifier at Shea Stadium to http://hometown.aol.com/beautifulbrian43/wrap.html

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From MosesNews.com via Todd the Butler:

Erik The Red Denmark – 26.5 + 3 in overtime
Pat Philbin – 26.5
Allen Goldstein – 25.5
Russ Keeler – 20
Brian Subich – 19

Erik Denmark has won a contest in a New York City baseball stadium for the second year in a row.

MosesNews.com also has a gallery of today’s contest.

update
BeautifulBrian.com has a report from Shea Stadium with some pictures

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BeautifulBrian.com has a preview of Sunday’s Nathan’s qualifier at Shea Stadium. He is torn between rooting for Brian Subich and Allen Goldstein in that contest.

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(From Todd “the Butler”) An IFOCE strawberry shortcake contest will be held at the Strawberry Festival in Mattituck (Long Island) NY on June 17. Registration opens May 31 at noon.

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NYMag.com reports that “Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating”, starring Crazy Legs Conti, will be screened at the first New York Food Films Festival on June 21. The schedule of events for that evening follows:

Thursday, June 21st
8:30pm – Tasting Rachel Ray – 3 mins.
– Best of the Wurst – 21 mins.
– A Trip To The Butcher – 4 mins.
9:00pm – Crazy Legs Conti – Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating
10:15pm – Q&A with Crazy Legs Conti
10:45pm – Hot Dog eating contest – 32 inch Stahl-Meyer Hot Dog
closing – XXX – An Uncanventional Love Story – 1 min.

Another movie to be screened at the festival is Buffet – All You Can Eat Las Vegas. A trailer for that film is available at NYMag.com

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Yahoo Sports has a one minute video report about the TripRewards hot wing eating contest produced by the Associated Press.

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(From Megamunch and Brian Subich) Joey Chestnut’s victory at the TripRewards wing contest yesterday was the #2 play of the day on ESPN Sportcenter.

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TripRewards hot wings results Update MLE has full results

1. Joey Chestnut 7.05 lb in 12 minutes
2. Sonya Thomas 6.01 lb
3. Tim Janus 5.381 lb.
4. Micah “Wing Kong” Collins 3.913 lb
5. Crazy Legs Conti 3.263 lb
6. Steakbellie 2.475 lb
7. Pete Miernicki 2.2 lb

update NYMag.com has a short blog entry about the contest

update #2 A press release about the contest is available. Video from the contest can be seen at http://www.triprewardshotwingchampionship.com/.

update #3 wygwto.blogspot.com has a spectator’s report from the contest which says that Horatio Sanz was the first choice for the celebrity host.

The liveblog follows the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

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This afternoon, TripRewards will sponsor a chicken wing eating contest. The previous TripRewards contest was a birthday cake eating contest in 2005. AnchoragePress.com has an article about Shishaldin, who participated in that event.

Readers might remember Shishaldin as the Brooklyn, New York-based performance artist so starved for attention that she ran the New York Marathon draped in cold cuts, auctioned her DNA on eBay and willed her remains to the Guggenheim Museum to be freeze-dried and displayed after her death. She also once attempted a diet solely of her own breast milk by using imported lactation-inducing drugs and a breast pump. (She described the results on her website: “Weeks of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea ensued… project abandoned. Some people are just not the nurturing kind.”)

Now Shishaldin is training to become a competitive eater. Last month she beat out ex-NFL celebrity William “The Refrigerator” Perry in a cake-eating contest that she entered dressed as Marie Antoinette, complete with a corset that she unzipped once she got onstage. Perry, a “guest eater” who was paid for his appearance, placed 10th out of 10. Winner Rich Lefevre ate a five-pound cake in 11 minutes, 20 seconds. Other results were not reported on the International Federation of Competitive Eating website. Shishaldin said there were problems weighing cake after the contest and some controversy over the rules, which didn’t allow eaters to dip cake in water. “Some of the eaters were really upset,” she said.

Shishaldin has apparently shifted from competitive eating to running. Her old blog announces a goal of running a marathon in every state before she reached the age of 30. Her current blog has an entry about participating in a six day race.

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A press release for Monday’s Trip Rewards hot wing eating contest lists the expected entrants:

Competing for the TripRewards Ultimate Hot Wing Eating Championship title will be IFOCE eaters Joey “Jaws” Chestnut of San Jose, Calif.; Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas of Alexandria, Va.; Tim “Eater X” Janus of New York, “Crazy Legs” Conti of New York, Micah “Wing Kong” Collins of Drexel Hill, Pa.; Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston of Drexel Hill; and Pete Miernicki, a rookie eater from Philadelphia. Bob “Humble” Shoudt of Royersford, Pa., and “Wild” Bill Myers of Brenigsville, Pa., will be “waiting in the wings” as alternates.

Kenan Thompson of Saturday Night Live will host. The contest will be webcast on Monday at 1pm eastern at http://www.triprewardshotwingchampionship.com/

update The blog for the the Minneapolis paper has an entry about the contest with a lot of comments.

The first commenter has the following response to the question “Why does competitive eating need its own international federation?”:

I don’t know. I guess they need a union to fight the evil promoters.

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The Guardian, a British newspaper, has an article on the planned redevelopment of Coney Island:

Coney Island may be something of a time capsule – as well as the perfect milieu for a Scooby Doo villain – but it holds its ground in terms of modern thrills – the Cyclone is as terrifying a white-knuckle ride as you’ll find anywhere, and well worth an hour’s ride on the F train from midtown Manhattan.

The summer season has a non-stop carnival atmosphere, with a fancy dress Mermaid Parade on 23 June and Nathan’s Famous hot dog-eating competition on 4 July. Aged eccentrics promenade the boardwalk next to Brooklyn homeboys, Williamsburg hipsters and young families. All human life is here, out for the day, an afternoon at the Aquarium or the Circus Sideshow, or at least a drink at the adjoining Freak

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From Badlands Booker email:

What’s good eating fans:

Don’t miss yours truly Badlands Booker this weekend as he will be performing two competitve eating themed hip hop songs over a live rock band. It happens on Saturday, April 21st. As I become a special guest to one of the hottest rock bands in New York City, The KNOBS!

If you live or will be in the NYC area tomorrow, stop by and witness the greatest Rock/Hip Hop Collabo since Linkin’ Park @ Jay-Z! At Bar Nine

Bar Nine is located at: 807 9th. Avenue bet. 53 & 54th. Streets. Show starts at 10:33 pm. I’ll see u There.

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USAToday.com reports that a planning subcommittee has recommended denying a permit to the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy, which hosts an IFOCE cannoli eating contest. The committee has a second hearing on the festival tonight.

But last month the Street Activities Permits Subcommittee of the Traffic and Transportation Committee of Community Board 2 — one of hundreds of such neighborhood panels that influence everything from new skyscrapers to street names — took the unprecedented step of recommending against a permit for the feast.

“People use our hallways as toilets,” complains John Casalinuovo, a longtime resident who spoke at the hearing.

When festival officials did not attend the hearing — they say they weren’t notified — the subcommittee voted to recommend the permit be denied.

nytimes.com also has an article

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Brian Seiken has some pictures of Don “Moses” Lerman and “Krazy” Kevin Lipsitz attempting the 6+ pound burger challenge at the Black Rock Tavern. There is also a photograph of Lerman’s niece Shana Urban .

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MosesNews.com has an entry and several pictures (which are all timestamped April 21, 2005) about Don “Moses” Lerman’s and “Krazy” Kevin Lipsitz’s attempt to finish the 6+ lb. burger challenge at the newly opened Black Rock Tavern:

TONITE KRAY KEVIN LIPSITZ AND DON ”MOSES” LERMAN CAME INCHES AWAY FROM COMPLETING THE BIG BURGER . THE BURGER WEIGHED 6&1/2 lbs KEVIN CLEANLY ATE ALL MEAT” THE 5 PLUS LBS OF MEAT ”, MOSES ATE ALL THE MEAT EXEPT FOR SOME DEBRIS AND FINISHED 3/4 OF THE TOP OF THE ROLL . AT 25 MIN INTO THE BURGER LORRIANE LIPSITZ SAID THERES 35 MIN MORE , AS FAR AS I WAS CONSERNED SHE COULD HAVE SAID 35 HRS OR DAYS LEFT I WAS SPENT AT THAT PIONT AND THREW IN THE TOWEL .

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Newsday has an article on low cost marketing. Eating contests are listed as one inexpensive method of promotion, but it was not cost effective enough for one former contest holder to continue its event:

Look at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest and Ben’s Matzo Ball Eating Contest. Nathan’s July 4th contest continues to be a big media draw, and Ben’s generated a lot of buzz until its last eat-athon in 2004.

Ben’s bowed out after a decade when the contest became “more expensive and less effective,” explains Scott Singer, president of Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen Restaurants & Caterers in Hicksville.

“We got a tremendous amount of media attention for a number of years,” says Singer, who estimates that the cost of the month-long promotion ranged from $30,000 to $80,000 each year. In the end, the contest became more of a venue for the professional food eater circuit than a contest for its local patrons, he says.

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