The IFPA is excited to announce an amazing opportunity that we've landed for the world of competitive pinball — players and pinball enthusiasts alike. We have signed a deal with the production company Go4Johnny Entertainment, who has worked on shows such as Survivor (CBS), The Apprentice (NBC), I Survived A Japanese Game Show (ABC), Crowned (CW), Big Medicine (TLC), and Deadliest Catch (Discovery). Together our goal is to get a pinball reality show on TV. For this to happen, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Go4Johnny Entertainment is currently in the casting portion of the process, and similar to putting together a tape for Survivor, they are looking for submissions from players and enthusiasts to cast for "The Pinball Project". With our involvement, we're planning on creating the most lucrative and exposed pinball tournaments in the history of the sport. This could be a real game changer that could benefit the entire pinball industry and community, but again, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We need to show Go4Johnny that our community of players and enthusiasts is diverse, large, and interesting enough to try and move forward with the concept. The worst possible outcome is them not receiving any online submissions, and this show is dead on arrival. If you've ever been interested in sharing your pinball passion to the world, or are interested in possibly competing for hundreds of thousands of dollars, take this opportunity to submit an online casting video. We don't know how long this casting process will last, so please don't hesitate if you're interested.

Click HERE to go to the Go4Johnny Entertainment homepage, and you'll see "SUBMIT CASTING VIDEO" on the top menu bar on the right hand side. Click on that, and follow the instructions.

Below is the detailed release from Go4Johnny Entertainment:

"Calling all pinheads, flippers and pinball enthusiasts of all ages and genders!  Do you eat, drink, and sleep pinball?  Do you collect as a hobby, or play competitively?  Are you ready to show off your collection?  Do you put pinball before everything else, including, sometimes, significant others?  Do you keep your pinball playing hidden from your coworkers?  If you are ready to share your flipper lifestyle, send us a tape following the guidelines below.  

PLEASE NOTE: By sending a tape, you agree and consent to its use for production purposes by Go4Johnny Entertainment, Inc.  If you are under the age of 18, you must have the consent of a parent or guardian to submit a tape.  Due to the number of submissions we receive, we can only respond to those who may be potentially cast.  Thank you in advance for submitting!

Submission Guidelines:

• Please submit a tape 3-5 minutes in length.  No need to edit or add music, we are just looking for your amazing personality to come through on raw footage.  

• IMPORTANT:  At the beginning of the tape, please hold up a piece of paper that can be easily read through the camera with the following information:  your name, your age, your city, and your phone number.  We recommend printing out a piece of paper with this information typed in large font.  Please also start off your tape by saying these items aloud.  If we don't know how to contact you, we can't cast you!

• Show us your life!  Show us your machines!  What does pinball mean to you? How is it a part of your life?  How has it affected your life?  How does your family, loved ones, friends and coworkers deal with your flipper lifestyle? Why do you think you should be on this show? 

All major media formats are accepted, including *.mov, *.wma, *.m4v.  PLEASE NOTE: Once you click upload and submit, your file gets automatically submitted and there is no way to cancel the process.  If you believe a file was submitted in error, please send us an email at [email protected]."

Twelve teams competed in the return of the PinBrawl World Team Pinball Championships, held Wednesday August 7th at PAPA HQ. After 3 qualifying rounds Beavis and Pin-Buttheads, made up of [player]David Riel[/player] (ranked 160th in the world), [player]Joe Scaletta[/player] (ranked 172nd in the world), [player]Greg Defeo[/player] (ranked 688th in the world) and [player]Cryss Stephens[/player] (ranked 40th in the world) earned a spot in the playoffs by winning POD #1.

In the Semifinal round Beavis and Pin-Buttheads defeated Eight on the Break 61-56, and followed that up with a 69-48 victory in the Finals over The Four Horseman. [player]David Riel[/player] earned top honors as PinBrawl's Most Valuable Player, earning 89 MVP points over the course of the tournament. Full results can be found HERE.

Congratulations to Beavis and Pin-Buttheads, and we look forward to seeing many of you at PinBrawl 2014 next year at PAPA HQ!

To celebrate the launch of the Metallica Premium Pinball machine, Stern and the IFPA are teaming up to host an official launch party at Headquarters Bar in Chicago on Friday, August 16th from 7-10pm!

There will be machines set up at each location on free play, with a cash prize tournament also being held throughout the party. Please see flyer for location information, and contact the IFPA at [email protected] should you have any questions.

Marmore – Competitive pinball is by now used to hear vibrate the name of Daniele Acciari on the winners podium. The roman player won ‘Torneo di flipper Marmore – Pinball at the Waterfalls’, organized in Terni the past weekend at the Arci cultural centre ‘Casa Lina’. Acciari took everything, winning the main tournament but also the side one on classic machines. During saturday, on top of teh main tournament qualify section, the classic tournament was completed on Tri-Zone, Top Hand, Royal Pair e the italian Zaccaria Pinball Champ. After a first screening to 12 players, only 4 played for the win with a podium filled up by Alessandro Cacialli in thgird place, Alessio Crisantemi at second and the already celebrated Daniele Acciari. Sunday morning the 16 finalists of the main tournament challanged the 10 pinball used, including the new Ac/Dc, Metallica, X-Men but also Monster Bash, Cactus Canyon e Simpson Pinball party. A very engaging doble elimination bracket saw the final between Daniele Acciari and a brilliant Matteo Pierobon, never so sharp at a such level tournament. After indeed eliminating Acciari in the winner bracket, Pierobon didn't succeed in defeating the two-time World Champion for the second time on the same day, but still playing a very high level final, surrending only at the third and deciding game on Avatar. 

Bronze medal goes to Giuseppe Violante from Verona, while forth place was taken by Matteo Filippin.

Overall 16 pinball machines have been used thanks to collaboration of Tecnoplay – offical distributor in Italy of Sterne Pinball -, automatic Service from Terni, the private collector Claudio Mortini and the company Antonio Giochi. 35 players came to partecipate to this tournament in a stunning location, located on the top of the main italian waterfall. The good quality of thee pinball and the enjoyable atmosphere made the weekend a party where everybody deserve a big applause. 

Full results are available HERE.

B.L.&P. TV in Germany spent the weekend covering the IFPA10 World Pinball Championship, and that piece aired on Drehscheibe Deutschland. Host [player]Alfred Pika[/player] is interviewed, as well as many players that took part in the tournament. Click HERE to view the video.

After 6 months of qualifying sessions, the Chicagoland Pinball League had their finals this past weekend (July 13th, 2013). 24 out of the 36 players qualified for the A, B and C finals.

In the C division, [player]Mike Vinikour[/player] (ranked 1609th in the world) defeated [player]Bryan Jozwiak[/player] (ranked 1038th in the world) for 1st place. [player]Chuck Czygrn[/player] (ranked 1567th in the world) finished 3rd.

In the B division, [player]Brian Lamug[/player] (ranked 1782nd in the world) defeated [player]Jason Weibel[/player] (ranked 1608th in the world) for 1st place. Proud new father [player]Steven Perotti[/player] (ranked 1504th in the world) finished 3rd.

In the A division, [player]Josh Sharpe[/player] (ranked 15th in the world) defeated [player]Dave Hegge[/player] (ranked 101st in the world) for 1st place. Regular season champion, and current world #1 [player]Zach Sharpe[/player] finished 3rd.

Full results of the regular season can be found HERE. Final standings can be found HERE. Video footage of the final match between Josh and Dave was also recorded. That footage can be viewed HERE.

World’s Largest Museum of Pinball
Over 500 Pinball Machines in 40,000 Square Feet on 18 Acres

Banning, CA – With a collection of over 500 vintage and modern pinball machines within a 40,000 square foot facility in southern California, the Museum of Pinball is slated to become the world’s largest museum of its kind when it opens in early 2014. In an effort to renovate the campus before opening its doors to the public, the Museum of Pinball launched a Kickstarter campaign today to raise a minimum of $150,000 over the next 30 days (until August 8, 2013).

Long before video games found their way into the home, arcades across America were filled with the lights and sounds of mechanical pinball machines and the young people who were enamored by them. With a national comeback underway, these machines are now finding their way back into the spotlight in barcades, private collections, and professional pinball tournaments. 

“We’ve been looking for an appropriate facility in southern California for the last few years,” said John Weeks, founder of the Museum of Pinball. “When we discovered this campus for sale within minutes of Palm Springs and other major destinations, we knew that it was the right property for the museum.”

Located a little over an hour from Los Angeles and Orange County, the Museum of Pinball is a non-profit organization with a campus that includes 18 acres just a few miles from the Morongo Casino & Resort and Cabazon Outlets with thousands of visitors and tourists visiting the area each day.

“We’ve been able to acquire the facility, but we are excited to invite people who love pinball to contribute toward the renovation of the property through Kickstarter,” said David Trotter, director of communications for the Museum of Pinball. “The long list of rewards that backers can select from will be particularly motivating to pinheads and even people who just grew up playing pinball.”

According to Weeks, the Museum of Pinball is designed to bring the nostalgic game back into the public spotlight and inspire a new generation of players to savor an experience that goes beyond what can be enjoyed via today’s video games which are limited to a digital screen.  

“I love video games, but there’s something so engaging about playing an arcade game with a silver ball and moving flippers rather than something just bouncing around on the screen,” commented Weeks. “It’s absolutely amazing to watch a young kid experience pinball for the first time!”

In phase two of it’s renovation, the Museum of Pinball plans to open a retro RV hotel and park where visitors can stay in refurbished Airstreams and other recreational vehicles situated on the 5 acre park with numerous mature trees, which already exists as part of the museum’s property.

For more information about how you can contribute to the Museum of Pinball’s Kickstarter campaign, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/museumofpinball/worlds-largest-museum-of-pinball-help-us-launch.

About the Museum of Pinball

Situated on 18 acres in Banning, California, the Museum of Pinball is the world’s largest museum of its kind with over 500 vintage and modern pinball machines housed within a 40,000 square foot facility. Slated to open its doors to the public in early 2014, the museum’s focus is on introducing a new generation to the excitement of the game (or what we like to call a "sport"). For more information, visit www.museumofpinball.org.

The IFPA is excited to announce that the following players have been now qualified for the $tern Rewards Program based on their June 2013 IFPA endorsed tournament performance! These players have until August 15th, 2014 to exercise their reward option.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH – [player]Jörgen Holm[/player]
Jörgen Holm earned 197.05 WPPR points in June, 130.66 of which were from his victory at the IFPA10 World Pinball Championship and 3rd place finish in the Charity Challenge. In addition, Jörgen finished in 3rd place in the Main tournament of the Stockholm Open, as well as winning the Classics division.

BIGGEST MOVER AWARD – [player]Tim Kerro[/player]
Tim moved up 5486 spots from his 38th, 41st and 31st place finishes at the 2013 Pittsburgh Pinball Open Main, Classics I and Classics II tournaments respectively. Tim earned 2.83 WPPR points from this performance, which has moved him up to a rank of 4126th in the world.

BIGGEST MOVER AWARD – [player]Helmut Langenbruch[/player]
Helmut moved up 5146 spots by earning .46 WPPR points from his 38th place finish at the UK Pinball Cup, as well as .24 WPPR points from his 16th place finish at the June meeting of the Special When Lit League and 1.83 WPPR points from his 4th place finish at the June meeting of the UK Pinball South West league. In total, Helmut earned 2.53 WPPR points and boosted him into now being the 4309th ranked player in the world.

Detailed rules for the $tern Rewards Program, including an updated list of qualifiers, and updated list of rewards available can be found HERE.

The IFPA is pleased to announce that the following players saw the biggest jump in their world ranking based on their June 2013 tournament performance.

The biggest movers for June 2013 included [player]Emma Oliver[/player] from Bristol, UK, who moved up 6690 spots by earning 4.01 WPPR points from her 12th place finish at the UK Pinball Cup, as well as .06 WPPR points from her 24th place finish at the June meeting of the Special When Lit League and .02 WPPR points from her 26th place finish at the June meeting of the UK Pinball South West league. In total, Emma earned 4.09 WPPR points and boosted her into now being the 3514th ranked player in the world.

[player]Tim Kerro[/player] from Ohio moved up 5486 spots from his 38th, 41st and 31st place finishes at the 2013 Pittsburgh Pinball Open Main, Classics I and Classics II tournaments respectively. Tim earned 2.83 WPPR points from this performance, which has moved him up to a rank of 4126th in the world.

[player]Helmut Langenbruch[/player] from Bristol, UK moved up 5146 spots by earning .46 WPPR points from his 38th place finish at the UK Pinball Cup, as well as .24 WPPR points from his 16th place finish at the June meeting of the Special When Lit League and 1.83 WPPR points from his 4th place finish at the June meeting of the UK Pinball South West league. In total, Helmut earned 2.53 WPPR points and boosted him into now being the 4309th ranked player in the world.

Congratulations to Emma, Tim and Helmut, as well as the other players that saw a jump in their ranking from their June tournament performance!

The IFPA is pleased to announce that our Player of the Month for June 2013 is World Pinball Champion Jörgen Holm from Sweden. Jörgen earned 197.05 WPPR points in June, 130.66 of which were from his victory at the IFPA10 World Pinball Championship and 3rd place finish in the Charity Challenge. In addition, Jörgen finished in 3rd place in the Main tournament of the Stockholm Open, as well as winning the Classics division.

The rest of the top 5 for the month of June included [player]Zach Sharpe[/player] from Chicago, IL with 170.02 WPPR points, [player]Cayle George[/player] from Seattle, WA with 102.66 WPPR points, [player]Robert Gagno[/player] from Canada with 100.94 WPPR points, and [player]Tim Hulin Bouard[/player] from France with 100.12 WPPR points.

Congratulations to Jörgen and the other top WPPR point earners of the month!