Originally Posted by DesertRoad
And speaking of campy, Johnny must've been inspired by his recent Lady Gaga concert, because he vamped the hell out of that performance of Poker Face.
And speaking of campy, Johnny must've been inspired by his recent Lady Gaga concert, because he vamped the hell out of that performance of Poker Face.
I like competitions approximately 1000 times more than exhibitions, so there were just a few things I really enjoyed in the gala. Nathan Chen was the highlight. WOW, what an amazing young athlete. He sounded so focused.
I also loved Johnny ... I never get sick of "Poker Face," it's one of the most stunning exhibitions I've ever seen.
Evora and Ladwig were beautiful. Are their lifts the best in the bus?
I also loved the gathering of past OGMS, especially seeing the old ones some of whom I didn't even know were still alive!
Besides that, everything else blended together for me in an endless stream of shoulder wiggling and vamping to music that all sounded alike. I do take my hat off to Evan, D/W and young Nathan (who couldn't live with his mistakes in the competition!) who dared to do their competition numbers in this gala.
I missed the first 18 minutes so I may have overlooked something stellar. They seem to have omitted Sasha, so phooey on them.
On to Vancouver!
I actually don't like when skaters use their current competitive programs at the galas for competitions. I don't mind if it is for a random show but for competion galas, we have already seen those programs. They should skate to other songs. I don't mind if they skate to previous programs or songs they have competed with in the past.
All the senior skaters who skated their competitive programs on this show actually had exhibition programs. Apparently, they were told to do encores of their previous performances by the powers that be. Not a very wise decision. Been there, done that, and in most cases, done better, too.
That explains it. I hope they air the actual exhibitions.
They just aired Evan's, so I think they'd air the others (maybe I missed them, just tuned in).
Tenley Albright, Dorothy Hammill, and Peggy Fleming look great! (:
Most of the exhibition pieces tonight (not just the competition routines) were also retreads. Or so similar to past numbers they might as well have been.
Just finished watching the gala...
That wasn't half bad. I actually liked the champions skating their competitive short programs. Mainly because Jeremy's, Rachael's, and Meryl/Charlie's shorts and OD are their best competitive programs better than their respective longs I feel and it was great to have an opportunity to see them really performed in a relaxed way which they can't do during competition. D/W in particular were able to bring out nuances in finger and arm movement that they gloss over a bit during the nervousness of competition.
My favorite performance of the evening (beside Nathan Chen's- who's adorable and wonderful) was Jeremy Abbott's performance. For me this entire Nationals has been a revelation- he's come into his own this year. I thought he was fantastic last year but he wasn't a favorite. I read somewhere that his sister said she always thought he was good but it wasn't until recently that she felt that he'd developed a presence on the ice. This exhibition piece proved that- he was soulful, tender, and really poured his heart into portraying the character in that song. I don't usually like Michael Buble but this number was really good. I don't care where he places in the Olympics for me he's just turned into one of those skaters that I just like to see skate and move around on the ice- regardless of jumping.
I actually enjoyed the gala more than I have the last few...
2012 cannot come soon enough (I am going even if it kills me!)
WOW! Jeremy was fantastic . . . by far my favorite performance of the night!I also really enjoyed Johnny, Ashley, Davis/White, Rachael, Mirai, Samuelson/Bates, Belbin/Agosto, Evora/Ladwig, and Denney/Barrett. GREAT SHOW!!
Tonichelle , did you mean to say 2014? hah, you are really rushing it Uhh. unless you are referring to 2012 Worlds, are they slated for your town?
I didn't care for Davis/White's costumes at all, they were trashy-looking, just not very decent for a gala event. White in a tee-shirt and jeans, and Davis in micro-mini with - aaacky-pooky, as my dad used to say.
For me, Jeremy Abbott's and Nathan Chen's performances were the highlights of the evening. The rest, I don't care that much.
P. S. Is Jeremy really only 5'9''? He was taller (looks like about an inch taller) than Johnny on the podium.
I've seen conflicting information on his exact height. Some sources say 5'9"; others say 5'10".
Anyone know why Rachel performed two routines?
When the gala began I was confused as to why they were skating without lighting and their short programs but after a while figured out that they had the gold medalists perform. I think that's what happened, was it??? Oh and what really confused me was Rachel skating first because the Lady Champion always skates last.
I loved it when Johnny said he was more mature, even though from his costume and face makeup he didn't look it.
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