Worlds Exhibition Coverage Alert

For those of you who get your information on heatherw's TV coverage page (which is fabulous ) I checked it against tvguide.com/listings, and the latter says that the Worlds exhibition will be on

Saturday, April 3rd on ABC from 2pm to 4pm EST

NOT 4-6pm EST as it says on Heather's site--they must have changed it at the last minute or something.

Also, totally unrelated question that I need help from you GSers who have been to a COI or SOI show, preferably at Continental Airlines (formerly Meadowlands) Arena in Rutherford, NJ, but I think all those big arenas' seating charts are relatively similar for similar events...

I have row 13 seats in the 100s section (the blocks closest to the ice; would binoculars help?

Thanks and take note of the TV coverage change--double check it against your own local listings,

Cheers,

Sarah

My abc affiliate is carrying the exhibitions from 1-3pm on saturday.... I think that there may be some variance depending on which market you are in. Like they say "be sure to check your local listings!" hahahaha.

Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention Sarah

Thanks Sarah..........I would hate to miss the exhibitions....they sound great............ 42

So it's 1-3 CST, right? I live in Houston, TX. Thanks for the headsup!

With regards to binoculars, Don't. Your field of vision will be narrowed and you won't be able to appreciate the ice coverage. Also, the skaters move so quickly that it's difficult to follow them unless you know their exact pattern. If you're in the 1st section of seating, you'll be fine. You can take them just to get a closer look during bows and trying to spot other skaters in the audience.

Don't bother trying to take pictures unless you're really close or have zoom lense. We had 5th row seats for SOI in Trenton. I used a digital camera with zoom and got a few ok pictures when the skater was right in front of me. My friend used a 35mm without lense and none of the pictures came out well even when they were on right in front of our seats on that side of the ice.

I know what've I said contradicts. However, using the digital camera allows one to see more of the ice than just through the lense finder and I didn't watch the whole show through my camera.

I checked the TV guide, and my local ABC didn't even have it on at all!!

Just came back from COI!!!

No problem, guys; weren't those exhibition programs great? THanks, heyang, I just got back from COI, and it was FABULOUS! The finale number alone was worth the ticket; my row 13 seats were pretty good, though I have to be closer next year!!!

Sarah

Sarah I was wondering if you could write a review of COI?

COI

First of all, welcome to GS, Liz!!!

Happy to oblige, Ximena; I would have done so last night, but all I could manage in the exhausted state I was in was a couple of short posts, so here goes...

The intro number was the usual, spotlight and hand-picked songs for each skater and pair as they took the ice...Nicole Bobek sticks out in my mind...skated to some number with the word "trouble" in the refrain, something to chuckle at. It was generic as most opening numbers in a show like that are.

My overall impression was that the show was as good as the individual skater's chosen (or assigned) exhibition numbers were. No triple axels, not even from Evgeni, who did an uncharacteristically bland number to a song called "I Was Born To Love You", very macho man--I think any of the livelier, more inventive numbers he did in Dortmund, the dancy "Hafanana" song that Irina used to do, the transvestite number (pairs routine by one ), or the duet with Edvin Marton on violin, would have done him more justice as showman.

Not too many spills, I can't recall who fell, besides Jenny Kirk, who performed Chicago ("Roxie"), again...sigh. The final number was Rhapsody in Blue, and it was EXQUISITE! Really outstanding, the coloring, shades of blue (my favorite color for years)...sooo classy, musical (given the piece was Rhapsody Concerto and the skaters were top-notch, that wasn't too hard to manage, I guess ) Just like the regular program, the skaters wove their way into the number in order of importance/seniority; among the transitions I can remember, Irina and Yelena Sokolova came in and did spins together (Irina looked a little slow during her Chihuahua number, a festive, bouncy tune much like Lou Bega's Mambo Number 5, and during her spinning in the final number--I applaud her valiant effort though)--I remember thinking how much faster Yelena looked in side-by side laybacks, and then Sasha sashayed on in and did a spiral? I think it was, and then her layback on center ice. Philippe did a martial arts number that was fun and nearly tore the head off an audience member sitting right on the ice, front row...wish it had been me A crush on him way back when, as the Godfather, got me into figure skating

Let's see, other memorable performances...Shen and Zhao, their breathtaking romance on ice, and their eye-popping throw triple jumps...heartstopping--they skated to the same program shown on the Dortmund exhibition coverage, Moulin Rouge, and it was amazing...

Sasha's My Fair Lady was very pretty, polished and classy; fit her to a tee. (I commented on that on the thread about it). Elvis skated to a high-energy number, his usual self, but was unfortunately impaired by a pair of male skaters whose names I can't recall who have a hilarious novelty act, the one playing the hockey player left his TUTU on the ice...

That was a blast, that performance! The hockey player was fighting the delicate, spinning figure skater; I was reminded of the classic rivalry for the rink that plays out in every general skating session I've ever been to, where we the figure skating lovers rush out right after the Zamboni's just polished the ice and it's clamoring for us to come and try our three turns and etch our signatures on the ice...and then the hockey players show up and ruin our fairytale like the evil stepmothers they are, doing their stupid hockey stops and chopping up the ice like nobody's business...the two guys were hilarious, and it was a really clever concept that I didn't expect from one of the two novelty acts. The other was a hula hoop lady, Irina Gregorian, I think, who failed to impress me much.

I have to run; more later, Ximena and anybody else into hearing my COI reports

Cheers,
Sarah

Thanks so much for the review!! I couldn't find this thread again! LOL
Oh why oh why is COI no longer on TV.
It's so weird about Plush though, I knew that eventhouguh he did the man/lady number on the rehearsal that he was not doing it on the show, but I though he was doing Hafanana.
Shen & Zhao number is soo good, at least the one that I saw from Worlds which I imagine is the one they are doing now.

I loved Denkova & Stavijsky number. It was so lyrical, and so emotional. However, I could not believe how Peggy & Dick just did not get it. Their reaction was: Ummm, that was different/ Yes, some music parts were nice/ really showed their great edges. That's it.

Plushy's number did nothing for me. The only good thing about it IMHO came when he did some real skating at the very end. I did, though, love his performance at the end, with the violinst. Wow!

I wanted to see more than one routine by champion Shizuka Arakawa; Plushenko got to do three!

Sasha Cohen did Romeo and Juliet. Was very good.

Ptichka said:

I loved Denkova & Stavijsky number. It was so lyrical, and so emotional. However, I could not believe how Peggy & Dick just did not get it. Their reaction was: Ummm, that was different/ Yes, some music parts were nice/ really showed their great edges. That's it.

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ITA. I just don't get Dick and Peggy. Sometimes I think they have very keen eyes but sometimes they just totally don't get it. And it's very frustrating listening to them at those times because I'm so drawn in by a certain performance and they just have to pull me out, especially Dick.:\

Johar said:

I wanted to see more than one routine by champion Shizuka Arakawa; Plushenko got to do three!

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Arakawa did performed twice, at least that is what I remember from Eurosport, maybe ABC didn't show it.
As for Plushenko doing three numbers, well Plush is very well known in Europe and putting aside Russia, I think the next country that is very fond to him is Germany. He and Alexander Abt are treated like rock starts there, maybe that's why he got to performa three times.

shine said:

ITA. I just don't get Dick and Peggy. Sometimes I think they have very keen eyes but sometimes they just totally don't get it. And it's very frustrating listening to them at those times because I'm so drawn in by a certain performance and they just have to pull me out, especially Dick.:\

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I thought their comments re: D&S were generous. I disliked their program--frankly, it bored me to tears, and I couldn't wait for them to finish!

Ximena said:

Arakawa did performed twice, at least that is what I remember from Eurosport, maybe ABC didn't show it.

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Oh no! I watched the two-hour ABC version and only saw her once. No Irina Slutskaya, no Jenny kirk, etc.

Johar said:

Oh no! I watched the two-hour ABC version and only saw her once. No Irina Slutskaya, no Jenny kirk, etc.

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Well Irina and Jenny were not at the Gala since neither of them made the top 5.