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- Jan 22, 2004
Kwanford Wife said:
Sunday: Worst Skating Shows in History - It's a Toss Up
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Frau Muller said:
Gee, too bad Katarina ever skated after 1988, isn't it? Why in the world do you have a photo of her in a pro program when eligible skaters only are welcome on TV or, I suppose, for discussion? Oh, well, maybe she's OK in photo, but heavin forbid that she should ever have done anything like Carmen on Ice or performed in the Skating tours or anything like that. She should've never donned skates again after she first "retired" in 1988.
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The eligible skaters have plenty of competitions compared to the pros. The pros only have "Ice Wars" & the World Team Challenge. Thank goodness the pros still have some shows in which to participate! I'm not saying that the Disson shows are perfect & beyond criticism. I didn't like the Ashanti music, dancers, or their costumes either, but I enjoyed most of the skaters in the show (and that includes Caryn Kadavy, one of my favorite pro ladies, even though she ended up skating to Ashanti music for one of her programs). I wish that the cameramen would focus on the skaters during these kinds of shows with live music, but I wonder if there are clauses in the musician's contracts that stipulates that they must be shown a certain amount of time through the show.
Speaking of "Carmen on Ice," (with Katarina, Brian B. & Brian O.), that was a terrific production, IMHO. Just for the record, my favorite recent Disson production was last season's Bocelli on Ice. There was nothing cheesy about it - classy production all the way.
I realize I didn't respond to the topic question - the worst skating show ever. I don't consider Sarah's show the worst show ever, nor do I feel that way about "Skating With Celebrities," which I'm taking tongue-in-cheek. I never saw Tara's "Hip-Hop on Ice" show, but I have heard dreadful things about it. I probably wouldn't have liked it too much because I'm definitely not a hip-hop fan (that said, I thoroughly loved Stephanie Rosenthal's programs at Nationals).
Speaking of "Carmen on Ice," (with Katarina, Brian B. & Brian O.), that was a terrific production, IMHO. Just for the record, my favorite recent Disson production was last season's Bocelli on Ice. There was nothing cheesy about it - classy production all the way.
I realize I didn't respond to the topic question - the worst skating show ever. I don't consider Sarah's show the worst show ever, nor do I feel that way about "Skating With Celebrities," which I'm taking tongue-in-cheek. I never saw Tara's "Hip-Hop on Ice" show, but I have heard dreadful things about it. I probably wouldn't have liked it too much because I'm definitely not a hip-hop fan (that said, I thoroughly loved Stephanie Rosenthal's programs at Nationals).
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SkateFan4Life
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I agree about Sarah Hughes' television special. I only watched about a half hour of it, then switched to The Weather Channel. Frankly, I found the weather anchors a heck of a lot more entertaining, with their predictions of snow, ice, and wintry weather.
IMHO, this was the last television special we'll see "starring" Sarah Hughes. Her fifteen minutes of fame will be over as soon as another woman wins the figure skating gold medal in Torino. She's enjoyed the ride for four years, and her time is up. She is nowhere near the skater or athlete who won the gold medal, plain and simple. Previous Olympic champions such as Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, and Kristi Yamaguchi had long and outstanding professional careers, and some of the reasons why they excelled in the pro arena were:
(1) They all had outstanding television specials. They were classy, family-oriented shows, with gorgeous outdoor scenery, good skating, and real guest stars, like Jean-Claude Killy, the Carpenters, etc. The women skaters wore costumes that were "show-bizy" but at least covered up most of their bodies. The musical choices were first-rate, as well as the guest artists. There was none of the MTV-like garbage that seems to permeate the airwaves these days.
(2) Fleming, Hamill, and Yamaguchi maintained their skating skills. I attended their shows, sometimes years after their Olympic victories, and they still had the jumps, spins, and charisma that won them their titles. They obviously took their sport seriously, and they presented themselves to the public as trained figure skaters who treated the public with respect by giving great performances.
Frankly, it's insulting to me that the networks consider the general public to be half-witted neatherthals who would even find a television special like "Sarah Hughes and Friends" even slightly entertaining. Duh!
IMHO, this was the last television special we'll see "starring" Sarah Hughes. Her fifteen minutes of fame will be over as soon as another woman wins the figure skating gold medal in Torino. She's enjoyed the ride for four years, and her time is up. She is nowhere near the skater or athlete who won the gold medal, plain and simple. Previous Olympic champions such as Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, and Kristi Yamaguchi had long and outstanding professional careers, and some of the reasons why they excelled in the pro arena were:
(1) They all had outstanding television specials. They were classy, family-oriented shows, with gorgeous outdoor scenery, good skating, and real guest stars, like Jean-Claude Killy, the Carpenters, etc. The women skaters wore costumes that were "show-bizy" but at least covered up most of their bodies. The musical choices were first-rate, as well as the guest artists. There was none of the MTV-like garbage that seems to permeate the airwaves these days.
(2) Fleming, Hamill, and Yamaguchi maintained their skating skills. I attended their shows, sometimes years after their Olympic victories, and they still had the jumps, spins, and charisma that won them their titles. They obviously took their sport seriously, and they presented themselves to the public as trained figure skaters who treated the public with respect by giving great performances.
Frankly, it's insulting to me that the networks consider the general public to be half-witted neatherthals who would even find a television special like "Sarah Hughes and Friends" even slightly entertaining. Duh!
Was this special as bad as her Christmas special from '03 (?). It seems like a few of the guests should have easily saved it from that fate. Or even the 01-02 SOI special. The early 00's were pretty retchid for that show.
That being sad- I think the gymnastics/ice skating special someone else mentioned may take the cake. Not a frickin bit of decent gymnastics out of the ladies and all the skates were reduced to odd programs to accomodate the 2-3 gym stations on the ice. Just bizarre.
That being sad- I think the gymnastics/ice skating special someone else mentioned may take the cake. Not a frickin bit of decent gymnastics out of the ladies and all the skates were reduced to odd programs to accomodate the 2-3 gym stations on the ice. Just bizarre.
S
SkateFan4Life
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IMHO, the worst Hughes special was her first - "Sarah Hughes, a Life in Balance." It was filled with positively nauseating cutsey-cutsey footage of her family romping outside in the back yard, and her attempts to be a normal American teenager. OK, it's understandable that Sarah, who was then only 17, wasn't exactly a mature adult, so perhaps I should be a bit less critical. However, the piece of her playing field hockey at Yale was enough to make me leave the room. Yeech.
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I gotta agree about the Hilton Gymnastics & Figure Skating show being the worst. In an attempt to show both, most of the camera work was from a distance - so, you couldn't tell who was skating and who was doing gymnastics. The TiVO was going on it, but I changed it to something else after a few minutes of the dreck.
I'm taking Skating with Celebrities as just fun, but really don't feel that the show is at all well balanced. I should have watched last night's episode of 'How I Met Your Mother' and just fast forwarded through the commercials and fluff of 'Skating'.
Haven't gotten around to watching Sarah's show, yet. Based upon her performance at last year's SOI, I wasn't particularly eager. Just gotta get it off TiVO before the Olympics.
I'm taking Skating with Celebrities as just fun, but really don't feel that the show is at all well balanced. I should have watched last night's episode of 'How I Met Your Mother' and just fast forwarded through the commercials and fluff of 'Skating'.
Haven't gotten around to watching Sarah's show, yet. Based upon her performance at last year's SOI, I wasn't particularly eager. Just gotta get it off TiVO before the Olympics.
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I guess I must be a little bit of a philistine because I don't find "Skating with Celebrities" any worse than "Too Hot to Skate" and other similar stuff hosted during the "boom." I didn't see the Sarah Hughes extravaganza, so I can't comment on that one. However, my taste in music is pretty geeky-so it sounds a little too modern for me.
My observations on "Skating with Celebrities":
1. Please don't let Barberie-doll win. She came in too skilled and she irritates me. She is pushy and her hair reminds me of a barbie doll who needs a brush really badly. (I know--I don't know why she makes me catty).
2. I still like Tai and Bruce. Bruce should have kept his natural look-but he seems determined and he has improved. I wish Tod and Jenni had stayed. His skills were the most base-line-but he had so much energy and I think he would have improved also.
3. In "real life," I love Kurt and I don't mind Debbi. But-I think he pulled a short straw in the partner stakes. I think Dorothy was very perceptive; very unlike Kurt, she doesn't feel comfortable on her feet and it hampers the flow.
4. After reading Tai and Randy's autobio, they definitely gave the impression that they really respected Mr. Nicks-but they felt a certain intimidation (Jo Jo Starbuck who trained with him prior to Tai and Randy corroborated this). They always called him "Mr. Nicks" and he ran a pretty tight ship. He did not approve of dramatics in the kiss and cry--whether they be unbridled joy, anger or sobs. Tai said it took winning the World Championships for them to throw caution to the winds and hug each other in the kiss and cry. Scott Hamilton told a funny story in the book about Randy and him sharing a room with Mr. Nicks at a competition. He said they were terrified of waking Mr. Nicks up by making too much noise or moving around too much. So- it sounds like he is not "acting" too much! In fact, he seems to have mellowed quite a bit by the time Sasha came into view (though I do think the added discipline with him evidently focuses her more.)
I will probably watch--if it doesn't conflict with Olympic figure skating events. It is a bit hard that I have to hear Scott yell in two places, though...
My observations on "Skating with Celebrities":
1. Please don't let Barberie-doll win. She came in too skilled and she irritates me. She is pushy and her hair reminds me of a barbie doll who needs a brush really badly. (I know--I don't know why she makes me catty).
2. I still like Tai and Bruce. Bruce should have kept his natural look-but he seems determined and he has improved. I wish Tod and Jenni had stayed. His skills were the most base-line-but he had so much energy and I think he would have improved also.
3. In "real life," I love Kurt and I don't mind Debbi. But-I think he pulled a short straw in the partner stakes. I think Dorothy was very perceptive; very unlike Kurt, she doesn't feel comfortable on her feet and it hampers the flow.
4. After reading Tai and Randy's autobio, they definitely gave the impression that they really respected Mr. Nicks-but they felt a certain intimidation (Jo Jo Starbuck who trained with him prior to Tai and Randy corroborated this). They always called him "Mr. Nicks" and he ran a pretty tight ship. He did not approve of dramatics in the kiss and cry--whether they be unbridled joy, anger or sobs. Tai said it took winning the World Championships for them to throw caution to the winds and hug each other in the kiss and cry. Scott Hamilton told a funny story in the book about Randy and him sharing a room with Mr. Nicks at a competition. He said they were terrified of waking Mr. Nicks up by making too much noise or moving around too much. So- it sounds like he is not "acting" too much! In fact, he seems to have mellowed quite a bit by the time Sasha came into view (though I do think the added discipline with him evidently focuses her more.)
I will probably watch--if it doesn't conflict with Olympic figure skating events. It is a bit hard that I have to hear Scott yell in two places, though...
I watched a bit of Sarah Hughes and Friends then had to switch the channel because it was that horrible. BUT that was hardly the worst skating show ever. PEOPLE! Have we forgotten TARA LIPINSKI'S HIPHOP ON ICE!??? *Shutters at refreshed memories* At least Sarah's show had some real skating. To me Skating with Celebrities is a fluff show, so it doesn't count.
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- Jul 31, 2003
Jhar55 said:
I did not like the live music either but the programs were not the same old programs, with the exception of Kalinka (B&S) which was wonderful, even though old. Yagudin's second number was old but not really 'hashed out'. I had not seen either of Todd's program and this is the first time I have seen B&S's 'If I could' on US TV. When SOI was aired, they chacked it in order to show interviews ad nauseum. I was grateful that I finally got it on my tape.
Many people seem to have changed the channel without seeing much of this show. It was not the greatest, but barring the live music and dancing, the skating was pretty good.
Vash
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
Any TV broadcast with Lambiel and B/S skating isn't close to being among the worst anything, IMO.
There's a good reason why the "fast forward" button was invented.
There's a good reason why the "fast forward" button was invented.
Skating With Celebrities
Sarah should hang up her skates. Tara was hard for me to take on a good day.
I disagree that Skating With Celebrities is a disgrace. Obviously it is not a show for skating purists, just as this board is not of interest to the general public. Figure skating has lost popularity in the US for any number of reasons and it is important that retired eligible's, the professional skaters, have opportunity to earn a living at their craft. I believe Scott Hamilton's primary reason for doing the show is to bring a new audience to the sport in general, and SOI in particular. He has serious health issues, a young family, responsibilities and commitments to the SOI family, not to mention an Olympic contract, so I doubt he is hosting the show because he is bored. At the very least, those who watch will have a new respect for the difficulty of the sport and dedication required to achieve elite status. At the most, it will sprout some new fans.
John Zimmerman is exciting to watch, he is a gentleman and should be commended for putting up (pun intended) with his partner. The judging format is hardly original, the competitive factor is flawed and the show is pure fluff (try telling that to the bruised and battered). But it isn't, and doesn't pretend to be, anything other than entertainment. I hope the show is successful, it's fun and I will continue to watch.
,,,and bring on Yagudin!
Sarah should hang up her skates. Tara was hard for me to take on a good day.
I disagree that Skating With Celebrities is a disgrace. Obviously it is not a show for skating purists, just as this board is not of interest to the general public. Figure skating has lost popularity in the US for any number of reasons and it is important that retired eligible's, the professional skaters, have opportunity to earn a living at their craft. I believe Scott Hamilton's primary reason for doing the show is to bring a new audience to the sport in general, and SOI in particular. He has serious health issues, a young family, responsibilities and commitments to the SOI family, not to mention an Olympic contract, so I doubt he is hosting the show because he is bored. At the very least, those who watch will have a new respect for the difficulty of the sport and dedication required to achieve elite status. At the most, it will sprout some new fans.
John Zimmerman is exciting to watch, he is a gentleman and should be commended for putting up (pun intended) with his partner. The judging format is hardly original, the competitive factor is flawed and the show is pure fluff (try telling that to the bruised and battered). But it isn't, and doesn't pretend to be, anything other than entertainment. I hope the show is successful, it's fun and I will continue to watch.
,,,and bring on Yagudin!
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- Joined
- May 22, 2004
Personally i enjoyed Sarah Hughes and friends....the skating mostly,didn't care too much for all the extras. I personally LOVED Shae-Lynn's piece...it was absolutely elegant and beautiful. I liked the rest of them too,with the exception of the group numbers. I personally had no problem with Ashanti's music...I think it is good to change it up sometimes...personally i get so freakin tired of them using people that...hardly anyone of my generation knows...like Kenny Rogers,that mcDonald guy etc..etc...If you expect younger viewers to get into watching skating,you have to be willing to use SOME of their own music.Someone they actually recognize. If they continue to use mostly people who's top hits were when my parents were teenagers....it's no wonder skating's popularity is dropping.Times are changing,skating should try to change with it. I think the downfall of skating in America is largely due to the American public AND skating officials,not being willing to change and accept new things. If you hate the way skating is now so much,go rent copies of the old shows then.You can't expect it to be the same now as it was 30 yrs ago.
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SkateFan4Life
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I thought Kurt Browning looked ridiculous in that black 70s wig.
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SkateFan4Life
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Piel said:
Egads, I missed that one !!!
I don't really enjoy any of these skating "specials." Too many lame gimmicks and bad "live" music. I'm not a Sarah fan so I didn't watch her special--- but I can certainly believe it was miserable. The Skating/Gymnastics show was a joke.
I watch all competitions- even the lame ones- but pass on most exhibitions and specialty shows.
I watch all competitions- even the lame ones- but pass on most exhibitions and specialty shows.
I'm not really a big fan of skating specials - I'm more of a competition fan - but some are definitely more palatable than others.
One I loathed was the awful tribute to Burt Bacharract (sorry on the spelling) from several years ago. Even though the lineup of skaters was impressive, the music wasn't and neither was the overall feel. I was bored to tears and ended up switching between channels.
I didn't even bother with Sarah and friends - I knew it wouldn't be my kind of thing.
One I loathed was the awful tribute to Burt Bacharract (sorry on the spelling) from several years ago. Even though the lineup of skaters was impressive, the music wasn't and neither was the overall feel. I was bored to tears and ended up switching between channels.
I didn't even bother with Sarah and friends - I knew it wouldn't be my kind of thing.
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