TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hot dog takes center stage on the Fourth

The Associated Press

Will Joey "Jaws" Chestnut reign again, or will Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi reclaim his title?

ADVERTISEMENT

By WALT BELCHER wbelcher

@tampatrib.com

Published: July 3, 2009

Hail to the lowly frankfurter, the real star of the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island.

Although it doesn't quite rank up there with PBS' annual Independence Day coverage of the fireworks at the nation's Capitol, ESPN's coverage of the hot dog eating championship is becoming a holiday tradition for many. It airs at noon Saturday.

Last year, more than 1 million viewers watched it live

The equivalent of the Kentucky Derby for competitive eaters, the 10-minute contest at the original Nathan's hot dog stand will feature 20 of the top eaters in the world vying for the Mustard Yellow Belt.

Two-time champ Joey "Jaws" Chestnut will be back to defend his title. In 2007, he won the 92nd annual event by downing 66 dogs in 12 minutes (a new world record) to dethrone six-time champion Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi.

Last year, the two tied at 59 dogs in 10 minutes and Chestnut won an eat-off by wolfing down five more.

Chestnut is a special guest contestant tonight on Fox's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader," which is back for a summer season of new episodes. He competes for $1 million by trying to answer questions from fifth-grade textbooks with the help of fifth-grade students.

The hot dog continues to be the No. 1 food item consumed on the Fourth of July. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates 155 million will be eaten tomorrow.

TELEVISED FIREWORKS: Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin, the Sesame Street Muppets, Natasha Bedingfield and the cast of "Jersey Boys" will be performing on "A Capitol Fourth" at 8 p.m. Saturday on PBS.

Jimmy Smits is the host of this 29th annual telecast from the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

NBC will televise the annual "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular" at 9 p.m. Saturday. CBS has the "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" at 10 p.m. Saturday.

MAYS REMEMBERED: A funeral mass for famed TV pitchman Billy Mays is set for today in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pa. The Discovery Channel also will pay tribute with a Mays special at 9 p.m. Thursday.

Mays, 50, died Sunday of an apparent heart ailment.

WESTERN REMAKE: Lou Diamond Phillips reprises the John Wayne role in a Hallmark Channel remake of the 1947 western "Angel and the Badman," at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Featured in a minor role is John Wayne's grandson, Brendan Wayne. Luke Perry plays a bad guy who is after Phillip's character Quint, a wounded outlaw. Deborah Kara Unger reprises the "Angel" role of a Quaker woman who nurses Quint. Gail Russell played it in the original.

SYFY CHANGE: On Tuesday, the Sci Fi Channel will become Syfy (pronounced the same) to signify a new direction in programming.

That new direction will include programs about fantasy, the paranormal and supernatural as well as science fiction. A new slogan, "Imagine Greater," replaces a logo featuring a stylized version of Saturn.

The network, owned by NBC Universal, bought the rights to the name from the Tampa-based Web site SyFy Portal, run by Michael Hinman, a sci-fi buff and writer for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. His SyFy Portal has been renamed Airlock Alpha, www.airlockalpha .com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT