- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
IDLERACER said:From this description alone, I believe I can confidently say that I've probably seen every one of these routines on TV already.
IDLERACER said:Although this is in my neighborhood, and the cheap seats are a little cheaper than usual, I think I'll pass on this one. I just don't like the thought of paying money to hear Michael Bolton. I'll look forward to the TV special a few weeks later, where I can turn the sound down, and watch them skate to whatever music I put on in it's place.
mememe said:There were a bunch of new programs . . . Sato & Jason Dungjen's "Lovers" (from House of Flying Daggers)
Like I said...Michael Bolton simply isn't my cup of tea. I look forward to seeing this on TV in a couple of weeks (where I have the option of turning the sound down whenever he's on) mememe said:that you've seen all these routines on TV before, Idleracer. I went to the show on Friday and if skaters doing "new" numbers is your basis for judging whether you like a show or not, you really missed out by not going.
mememe said:that you've seen all these routines on TV before, Idleracer. I went to the show on Friday and if skaters doing "new" numbers is your basis for judging whether you like a show or not, you really missed out by not going.
There were a bunch of new programs (at least, they were new to me): Brian Boitano's "Georgia" (from Ray), Brian Orser's "Believe" (from Polar Express) and "Accidentally in Love" (from Shrek2), Caryn Kadavy's "Alfie" (from movie Alfie), Roz Sumner's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (from Closer), Yuka Sato's "Wine Safari" (from Sideways) and Sato & Jason Dungjen's "Lovers" (from House of Flying Daggers), Elvis Stojko's "Nightmare/Shake That Thing" (from Aviator) and "Lose Yourself" (from 8 Mile), Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur's "Learn to be Lonely" (from Phantom) and "Some of these Days" (from Beyond the Sea) and one from Shae-Lynn Bourne from the movie Ray, too (can't think of the name of it right now, but Michael Bolton sang it live). Even if I've a couple of these have been done on TV once before, that's still quite a few new numbers. And the "repeats" were either from so long ago that it was nice to see them again or had only been done once or twice before and so were still fresh for me. I LOVED Boitano's "Music of the Night" with Franc D'Ambrosio singing live. It was awesome and it's been at least 6-7 years since he's done it. His speed and power were breathtaking in both numbers. Enjoyed Caryn's "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" that's from several years back, and as for Kristi's "Over the Rainbow," I've only seen it once before and never seen it live, and she was absolutely beautiful and spot-on. It was certainly worth my time to see it live.
It's beyond me why people seem to think that if a skater does the same program more than once, it's boring and a sign of someone who shouldn't be allowed to perform in a show. I found some of the comments on this thread a bit strange, to say the least. I LIKE to see programs several times, I like to see the skaters grow into the program and have it become a part of them. And I believe that it's a long, involved process with a lot of work involved to come up with a good new program. Funny, the eligible skaters almost always do the same two programs all year long, and nobody complains about that. Gee, why has Michelle Kwan done "Bolero" THREE TIMES already on TV, and still plans to do it at least two more times and maybe more before the end of the season? Ditto for Sasha Cohen and "Nutcracker," and as for those who have actually done the GP series this year as well as some of the USFSA things, they've actually had the nerve to do the same programs four or five times or more on TV! How gauche! They should have a new program every couple of weeks, shouldn't they? And then there's those horrible Stars on Ice skaters -- they have the nerve to do the same programs NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, more than 60 times a year so if I see three or four shows, I see the same programs, which must be boring, because I've seen them before. Gee, if Alexei Yagudin can choreograph a program in two days, why can't he perform a new program every other day or so? After all, it's so easy to choreograph new programs, it makes no sense for him and all those other skaters on SOI, who of course must know somebody or be married to somebody in order have those spots, to do the same numbers night after night. Shouldn't they have a whole new show at least every three or four weeks? Or why don't they just change the cast every few weeks and let us see all those skaters who don't get a chance to skate in SOI? Why should we have B&S, S&P, Eldredge, Yagudin, I&Z, etc., for three or four MONTHS at a time? (And no, that's not the way I feel -- I like seeing several stops of tours, every performance is different -- but if you require the same thing from eligibles and SOI skaters as many people on this thread seem to be requiring of the skaters in the NBC shows, this would be the result).
I think the skaters who do these show are, for the most part, very hard-working and deserving of the chance to perform. They've earned their places. Yes, there are some that I think are not prepared and obviously get the chance to work because of who represents them, who they know, etc., but the vast majority of these skaters work hard and have worked hard for years and are the reason some of these opportunities even exist -- but of course, according to some, their "tired old" programs (Boitano and Orser have done at least six or seven NEW solo programs this year, Kadavy at least five or six, others similar numbers, plus they've all done lots of ensemble, duet, trio, etc., work that is NEW) are killing skating in the U.S. Yeah, sure. And in most cases, the shows will have at least one or two "non-big names" that get a chance to be showcased (Winkler & Losee, Leonova & Khvalko, Steven Cousins, Silvia Fontana) in each show. I can't think of any skater, big name or not, who can match the speed and power and emotional delivery of a 41-year-old Boitano -- AND he's still hitting jumps and doing great spins, etc. Orser is simply a delight to watch. For me, Sato and Yamaguchi and Kadavy are among my very favorite women skaters. And they've kept up their skills. People obviously still want to see them, and they're wonderful ambassadors of the sport. So why shouldn't they have a chance to perform several times a year? And if they do the same program in some shows, what's the problem with that?
Whatever anyone else's opinion is, I really enjoyed the show and will watch it on TV this Sunday, too. I enjoy new numbers AND programs I've seen before and appreciate a chance to see some of my favorite skaters in the process.