"Up Close and Personal" TV bios

[Pookie]

If I see one more UCAP (Up Close And Personal) where Michelle is sitting under a tree or walking along the beach looking PENSIVE while her own voiceover plays in the background ("What skating means to me... blah blah blah") I am going to HURL

As much as I love Michelle's skating, I agree. There is such a thing as overexposure.

There have been a few on other skaters I have enjoyed. Like the one where Victor helped the American skater when she was injured in Russia. I thought that was a very nice profile. But even at that, I don't want to watch it 10 times.

 

[astimegoesby]

Re: "Up Close and Personal" TV Bios

Well,to each their own.Oksana Baiul has had 4 hour-long bios on her life,Intimate Portrait,A&E Biography,Beyond the Glory and E! True Hollywood Story,I guess there is that much interest in the Lass.In Canada,Liz Manley,Brian Orser have had their own bios,as have B & E, U & M,and Barbara Anne Scott King.Tonya's of a life is probably more titalating than K & O's story,but I am just not interested in her.

I actually enjoy seeing skaters profiled in non-skating-related shows like "Biography" or "Life and Times" (I thought the various "Life and Times" specials on various skaters have been especially well-done) since the vast majority of people profiled on these shows aren't skaters at all, so it's nice to see a skater or two sneak onto there every once in awhile. Plus, unlike most "fluff pieces" aired during actual skating events, no competitors are chacked from the TV broadcast!

 

[tharrtell]

Aaah, but some of the fluff segments are so darn funny. Remembering the World's piece of Mike Weiss and the hypnotherapist still brings a smile to my face

 

[Yazmeen]

I also vote for ditching these little borefests unless they are directly related to skating (the ones on costumes, picking music, etc. are at least skating related and somewhat interesting).

While I think "Michelle on the beach" has been retired, I'm gritting my teeth waiting for the endless profiles of "Sarah Hughes," selfless, sacrificing pre-med student at Yale" this coming season. I like Sarah a lot, but I WILL hurl majorly if ABC overdoes that issue, and you know they will just to get mileage out of the OGM, in the hopes that she will return at some point. Ick.

 

[rachelstarlet]

I'm undecided about this issue - sometimes, when it's one of my favorite skaters, I am really happy to see the little fluff pieces like the one on Plushenko that I think they first aired during the GPF but then a slightly different one (but the same material) at Worlds. However, I would also like to see some of the lower-ranked skaters who maybe don't have perfect jumping ability but have some pizzazz to their skating. sk8m8 mentioned the Ice Channel - I'm hoping that will offer a balanced combination of both the up close and personal stuff and the competition coverage. (But I don't think I'll be able to get it in my dorm room! Booo)

 

[hockeyfan228]

However, I would also like to see some of the lower-ranked skaters who maybe don't have perfect jumping ability but have some pizzazz to their skating. sk8m8 mentioned the Ice Channel -

At Worlds there was a lovely, 3x-less skater from Mexico, Ana Cecilia Cantu, who was a joy to watch. I think she should be in an ice show; she made wonderful contact with the audience. And she didn't come close to qualifying. (How she was ranked below Diane Chen, whose skate was painful to watch, I'll never know.)

The great thing about being locked in a hotel room in Europe working a few years ago was being able to watch Europeans on Eurosport, which televises every SP and LP, OD and FD, and which, instead of showing endless commercials (only a handful per hour), does instant replay on nearly all of the elements, and shows classic programs during zamboni breaks.

I hope Ice Channel is willing to show all of the skaters.

 

[sk8guy2k2]

I don't mind them that much except when the ones of the SAME skaters are shown over and over again.

 

[Pookie]

I'm gritting my teeth waiting for the endless profiles of "Sarah Hughes," selfless, sacrificing pre-med student at Yale" this coming season.

Yup, that will be the next gag-fest.

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Unless my geography is off whack, I believe that Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen will be living within close proximity of each other -- Sarah at Yale, and Sasha at her Connecticut training site.

Perhaps the networks can save some mileage and shoot both Sarah and Sasha together for next season's UCAP segments.
Hughes can be the ultra-dedicated student who is scaling down on her training while Cohen can be the ultra-dedicated skater who is pumping up her training, bigtime.

I just get so SICK of listening to Michael Weiss try to analyze his years of sloppy programs - botched jumps, falls, and other miscues. At the age of 27, he's still trying to figure out what to do, and, well, if he hasn't gained that wisdom by now, I doubt if he ever will. He makes statements such as, "I'm really pleased with my skating, and I'm gaining the confidence I need to skate clean programs." How many years has he been saying this? Ugh!!

 

[lil_icesk8er915]

I don't really mind them. I would like it better if they had a whole show for skating bios, like "Intimate Portrait: Kristi Yamaguchi"

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I do not believe that figure skaters, especially the teenagers have anything to say. "Bun heads", we call them in ballet. They really don't know anything except ballet.

Some skaters never grow up so there is still nothing for them to say except what their publicity agent tells them. Still others, when grown up, go on to lead productive lives and begin to realize the mysteries of life.

Joe

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Jill Trenary's "UCAP" segments were an excercise in narcisstic attitude. They were completely and totally "Look at me, world!" pieces, and, well, they really helped to portray Jill as a self-absorbed person who knew nor cared zilch about anything that wasn't directly related to her and her training.

One segment had her waxing on her "adult" persona. "I'm a big girl now, and I don't need to have so-and-so telling me what to eat and what to wear." It also showed her throwing a crying jag during skating practice, with Carlo Fassi standing at the rink, perhaps trying to figure out how to connect with this emotional skater.

UGH!!

 

[mkfanatic]

i live in britain and we dont get anything like bio's. we just get the skating!
gemma

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Do the Canadian, British, and other television networks outside of the United States bore their audiences with this "Up Close and Personal" nonsense? If they do not engage in this type of broadcasting -- you folks are very, very fortunate!!

LET'S JUST SEE THE SKATING AND SKIP THE SILLY BIOS!!

 

[mkfanatic]

no, we dont get up close and personal in britain. we just get the skating!!!

 

[SkateFan4Life]

You are so LUCKY to get just the skating and not the insipid UCAP segments!!!

We'll probably have to endure a raft of Sarah Hughes bios, as she
tries to analyze (for the gazillionth time) her decision to attend Yale University full-time instead of continue with intensive figure skating training. Yawn - enough already.

Most of the skaters have nothing to say that I care to hear. In my opinion, they are flattering themselves bigtime if they think that most of us really care what they like to eat, read, etc..!!

WHO CARES??

Let's just watch the skating!! Let the skating speak for the skaters.

 

[astimegoesby]

Do the Canadian, British, and other television networks outside of the United States bore their audiences with this "Up Close and Personal" nonsense? If they do not engage in this type of broadcasting -- you folks are very, very fortunate!!

LET'S JUST SEE THE SKATING AND SKIP THE SILLY BIOS!!

I can't speak for the British networks, but Canadian stations have definitely shown more than their fair share of "fluff pieces" over the years. I'm already bracing myself for the number of fluff pieces about "Elvis' big comeback" CTV is undoubtedly preparing for next season!

And the comments about Sarah Hughes just reminded me of another pet peeve: fluff pieces about skaters who aren't even skating in a particular event!

 

[SkateFan4Life]

Jill Trenary's UCAP bio from the 1989 season (shown at the 1989 Worlds broadcast) really made me want to use my bucket. She complained about all of the attention that Kristi Yamaguchi received (who had won the pairs title with Rudy Galindo and had won the silver medal in the ladie's singles at the 1989 US Nationals). Jill said, "There I was, standing on the gold-medal podium, and there was Kristi, who was positively glowing. Everybody was looking at her. I felt really bad, and I felt jealous of Kristi."

UGH!! Does this kind of junk really have to be aired on television????

 

[dfj]

I'm already bracing myself for the number of fluff pieces about "Elvis' big comeback" CTV is undoubtedly preparing for next season!

With any luck he'll change his mind and not return after all.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I think ideally, the fluff pieces should be a half hour segment before the actual competitions. But will that happen without sponsors?

If my ideal situation were to exist, there is that time between a skater's finish, marks, and next skater to deal with. How can we fill that time period of no skating?. Maybe some gossip?

Joe