Skating references in TV and film | Golden Skate

Skating references in TV and film

Tonichelle

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Jun 27, 2003
Watching TV episodes on DVD a lot of different shows reference the sport - and some of the stars - over the years in different TV shows (movies too).

for example - in two different Friends episodes we learn ross gellar loves Dorothy Hamill (she's on his prelim list of celebs he gets to sleep with should he get the opportunity and his gf can't get mad) and Michelle Kwan (he complains that he was sitting so far up in the stands he worried MK couldn't see his banner. Joey replies "That's okay, ross, I'm sure MK know's you heart her." :laugh: - this always reminds me of Mathman!). Phoebe is found to be married to a gay Canadian ice dancer (not famous) who comes back to town needing a divorce because he's found out he's actually straight and wants to get married to a girl he fell in love with. The whole "coming out" scene as being straight is done in a very humorous way.

Will and Grace mentioned a vegas ice show that Tonya Harding was to be in, as I recall.

What are some other references (I'm not talking Ice Princess stuff... just shows that have nothing to do with skating, but it pops up in an episode/scene).
 

Rachmaninoff

Final Flight
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Nov 10, 2011
Runaway Bride (?) where one of the co-workers introduces herself as "Peggy Fleming. Not the ice-skater." The Richard Gere character remembers and later greets her, "Hello Peggy Fleming, not the ice-skater."

Simpsons - the kids are snowed in at school and one wants to try to dig their way out or something. Principal Seymour forbids it, saying, "I don't care if you're Kristi Yamaguchi. No one leaves this building."

Family Guy - Michelle Kwan randomly appears at the end when the family is reassuring Peter of his importance to them (and she guest-starred to do the voice) "And I would never have won the silver in Nagano if you hadn't driven me to the ice rink every morning at 6 a.m."

Oh, and too many Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding references to list.
 

hrmsk8ngnutt

Final Flight
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Jul 29, 2003
Will and Grace mentioned a vegas ice show that Tonya Harding was to be in, as I recall.

What are some other references (I'm not talking Ice Princess stuff... just shows that have nothing to do with skating, but it pops up in an episode/scene).
In an episode from Season 1 of Will and Grace, Jack & Grace discover they both love Michelle Kwan ('she was so robbed at the Oympics' 'she's a billion times better than Tara Lipinski'). Surya Bonaly is also mentioned. Later they go to an ice show featuring Rudy Galindo, seen at the end with Jack.
 

Rachmaninoff

Final Flight
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Nov 10, 2011
South Park movie - What Woud Brian Boitano Do?

Oh, that reminds me, South Park had some figure skating references in their episodes too. There was the Jesus vs. Satan wrestling match, where one of the kids was trying to encourage Jesus by telling him the story of Nancy Kerrigan, and how she was attacked but fought back and "didn't give up until she won the gold." Another kid points out she actually came in second at the Olympics, and the first kid deflated and said, "Oh, never mind. Nancy Kerrigan sucks."

Also Cartman: "...and he cried like Nancy Kerrigan."
 

Macassar88

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Dec 21, 2011
In one tree hill there is an episode with some Brian Boitano references (and yes... I used to watch one tree hill. Don't judge)
 

Trewyn

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Dec 10, 2008
There were a lot of skating references in Gilmore Girls that I only noticed while rewatching all the seasons.

There's Rory's: "We are not supposed to be brokering backdoor deals and pushing through agendas with intimidation and bribery. I mean, what are we, French skating judges?" (to the backstabbing girls on the school board)

Lorelei: "Get inspired and tomorrow I guarantee you, we will be standing on the Olympic platform receiving our gold medals for eating. We are not Michelle Kwan-ing this." in relation to their 'Olympic Thanksgiving dinners' (4 Thanksgiving dinner invites in one day)

Lorelai: Rory and I have a skating date.
Rory: I'm Nancy Kerrigan.
Lorelai: And I'm Tonya Harding. I'm gonna do the whole shoe lace coming untie - nervous break - let me start again act and everything.


Miss Patty: "Well I took my senior ballerinas to try out for "The Nutcracker", and one of the girls pulled a Tonya Harding and knocked the front runner for Clara out of the competition."

There might have been even more...
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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Dec 27, 2009
In one tree hill there is an episode with some Brian Boitano references (and yes... I used to watch one tree hill. Don't judge)

No judgement from me, Macassar! I actually found myself surprisingly hooked to that show when I was sick and ended up watching them on Netflix.
 

gmyers

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Mar 6, 2010
Seinfeld. Jerry complains people are heckling him by calling him gilooly and the ending has the broken lace but in a stage performance. It's the one with Bette midler.
 

Rachmaninoff

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Nov 10, 2011
Nancy Kerrigan hosted a Saturday Night Live episode shortly after Lillehammer, which was full of figure skating jokes and references. (There'd been plenty of Nancy-Tonya material there before that, back when it was the hot topic.)
 

dorispulaski

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Jul 26, 2003
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The Peanuts shows even had an entire skating episode, (She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown), skating at the beginning of a Charlie Brown Christmas, and appearances by Snoopy driving a Zamboni, skating, and playing hockey.

There was Carol Heiss in Snow White & the 3 Stooges which appears on AMC this time of year, not to mention all the Senia Henie movies.

Project Runway, in one of the earlier seasons, had a project to make a skating costume for Sasha Cohen.
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
In an episode from Season 1 of Will and Grace, Jack & Grace discover they both love Michelle Kwan ('she was so robbed at the Oympics' 'she's a billion times better than Tara Lipinski'). Surya Bonaly is also mentioned. Later they go to an ice show featuring Rudy Galindo, seen at the end with Jack.

Will And Grace had two MK references; one where Grace and Jack bond over their adoration of MK and hatred towards Tara Lipinski and the other one where Will and Grace bought the cruise tickets for Will's parents where MK was supposed to perform. I still remember, that was year 2002 and Will and Grace say that "We won't be the saddest people on that cruise." "Yeah." "Michelle Kwan." That was one big stab in my heart:cry:
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
The movie, Ice Princess, is all about figure skating. And there appear Sasha and Yuna pictures(I think the first four images on this webpage) in the movie Ice Castles but the movie was much less popular than Ice Princess.

I really loved The Cutting Edge when I was young that I kept insisting on starting figure skating(but my parents wouldn't let me:()

And if you're thinking of figure skating movies, you can't count out Blades of Glory where Scott Hamilton guest-starred as a commentator!
 
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Joined
Mar 11, 2011
And, a couple of years ago, I remember reading that president Obama used metaphor of "doing the Harding" when he was pushing for Obamacare or something else which I don't remember. And IIRC, Tonya actually responded to this and said in an interview something like "Leave me the hell alone."
 

Buttercup

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Mar 25, 2008
Project Runway, in one of the earlier seasons, had a project to make a skating costume for Sasha Cohen.
The winning costume was horrifically ugly. I don't know what they were thinking, but Sasha certainly never wore it in competition or in any major exhibition that I can recall. Here's a recap of the episode and the winning design. BTW, Nick Verreos, who was a contestant in season 2 and featured in the episode, regularly posts about skaters' costumes on his blog.

Also in reality TV: John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana were on an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

In other countries, I think a bunch of Russian skaters were on some soap opera. Florent Amodio is starring in a movie called Programme Libre, and Brian Joubert was in a TV pilot but I don't think that worked out. Some of the French skaters do Fort Boyard on occasion - Brian Joubert, Isabelle Delobel, and P/B have been on it (here's a clip from 2008, with Joubert and P/B).
 

Rachmaninoff

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
And, a couple of years ago, I remember reading that president Obama used metaphor of "doing the Harding" when he was pushing for Obamacare or something else which I don't remember. And IIRC, Tonya actually responded to this and said in an interview something like "Leave me the hell alone."

That was great. :laugh:

Oh, Ilia Kulik was in that ballet movie, Centre Stage.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Which I never got to see, drat! And I never found it on DVD.

No fair to Ilia fans.


>later< I found parts of it on YT!


>still later< They have a bit with Ilia. Yippee! And they show a wonderful segment where the girls prepare their shoes. All sorts of amazing treatments: wetting them in the shower, ripping off a layer of fabric, singeing the toe area with a cigarette lighter. I once read that Gelsey Kirkland used to use a tinsmith's hammer to soften her shoes to her needs.
 
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Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
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Jun 27, 2003
The movie, Ice Princess, is all about figure skating. And there appear Sasha and Yuna pictures(I think the first four images on this webpage) in the movie Ice Castles but the movie was much less popular than Ice Princess.

I really loved The Cutting Edge when I was young that I kept insisting on starting figure skating(but my parents wouldn't let me:()

And if you're thinking of figure skating movies, you can't count out Blades of Glory where Scott Hamilton guest-starred as a commentator!

Yes i know but i was looking for more non skating shows and movies that reference the sport randomly
 

Tonichelle

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Jun 27, 2003
Which I never got to see, drat! And I never found it on DVD.

No fair to Ilia fans.

>later< I found parts of it on YT!

>still later< They have a bit with Ilia. Yippee! And they show a wonderful segment where the girls prepare their shoes. All sorts of amazing treatments: wetting them in the shower, ripping off a layer of fabric, singeing the toe area with a cigarette lighter. I once read that Gelsey Kirkland used to use a tinsmith's hammer to soften her shoes to her needs.

Center Stage makes its rounds on the cable/satellite networks and you can get it on dvd.

Kulik is a very small part speaking wise, and did not do any of his dancing.

It's an okay movie.
 
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