So, the annual journey for Stars on Ice begins yet again. The annual tradition of getting lost at least three times in trying to find hotel/arena each year continues (some people learn from their mistakes; I guess mom and I are "special". The two hour trek from Reno to Sacramento seems more like four due to traffic and non-Lewis and Clarksian navigation (and a big Bronx cheer to Mapquest). The annual fight with arena nazis over photos resumes (the ticket says "No flash/video".....rink nazi says "No photos, period". Um, ok. I hope the little tool told that to the multitudes of flash photographers across from us all night. Twit) Anyway, a pseudo-review of the show follows. I say "Pseudo" because I have no program ($15 for a couple of pretty pictures ain't my thing), so don't remember/know a lot of the music, and won't necessarily have people in the right order. But, so be it.
Basic general notes: As usual, costuming is, almost exclusively, beautiful. (I'll erase the 60s program from my mind with some brain bleach, although I liked Yuka's orange maribou vest).....there were some timing glitches in the group numbers (not unexpected in the third show of the tour)...No falls except poor Eldredge, who did a butt-plant trying a 3T in the finale, but recovered quickly...and it really kind of stinks to have no Bereshnaya/Sikharulidze anymore
But, the absence of Elena and Anton aside, I think this year's show was much better than last year.
Opening, Act 1, to "Superman" theme. Not overwhelmingly unforgettable (because I've kind of forgotten it)....nice costumes in red/black, and nice introduction to most of the skaters.
Ilia Kulik "Too darn hot"...Um, yeah, he sure is!
If Ilia hadn't totally won me over years ago, he would have here, tonight, right off the bat with this program. Awesome choreography, beautiful smooth basic skating, and great character. If there were CoP-ish competitions for pro skaters, he would be world champion over and over, because the guy's got it all. Looking at him now, I think if he still trained all his jumps, he could STILL be competitive with some of the skaters these days (except his spins, but let's face it, aside from Klimkin, how many male Russian skaters in the last 15-20 years have been really good spinners?) My first inclination towards giving a standing "O" (thwarted only by being sardined in "say goodbye to your knees for 3 hours" seating).
Ina/Zimmerman "Beautiful" (aka, wildly overused song sung by gawd-awful singer) The next act to draw my thoughts to "Wow, they could still be competing now" (at least in U.S. pairs)....not sure how their jumps are at this point, as they did no SBS, and I think only a throw 3S in the second number...but just based on the strength and uniqueness of their lifts, just WOW. It's nice that they got two numbers finally this year, and I liked this program...but it seems (just IMO) that they don't relate to each other as strongly during a slower-paced number, and my missing Bereshnaya/Sikharulidze is intensified.
Jennifer Robinson "GFB" (Generic female ballad) Very smooth, mature skating, she really is a lovely girl, and has some nice spin positions and centering. Other than striking me as "nice" and "wow, she seems pretty tall", not much to remember, other than a beautiful costume.
Stephen Cousins "GSR" (generic sexy rock, although I know I've probably heard the song 100 times before, I can't place it) Something about him, I find somewhat amphibian, akin to Morosov. Don't ask me what that means, because I don't know. Anyway, Cousins has always given me kind of an "ick" vibe, for no plausible reason. So this program, good enough effort, good enough energy, a few hip gyrating "look at my groin" moments, and less said the better. Sorry Steve.
Ekaterina Gordeeva "GLR" (generic Latin rhythm, with music I don't recognize). This is the program we saw her putting together in Simsbury, with black dress with yellow/red accents and long skirt tucked up at first, used as a scarf in the later part of the program. She is just totally exquisite, amazing skating skills, great speed and power. My mom thinks she is the most graceful female skater ever, and although I'm tempted to introduce mom to Yu-Na Kim, I won't argue the point, because she truly is in a very limited class. She doesn't have to jump.
Todd Eldredge "Um, something that sounds like Eddie Vedder-lite, aka Scott Stapp" Kind of an interesting costume shirt/pants combo...Not sure what's happened to him. I think he had some kind of surgery last year (ankle? maybe) He did all double jumps in this program...not sure if it was a bad night, or if he doesn't have triples right now. But it seems his spins are a bit slower than usual as well. Anyway....a nice Todd program, good drama and presentation, just a little "off" on the elements, but otherwise solid.
Sale/Pelletier "Super Freak" I've kind of had an aversion to them since the 2002 Oly thing...and yet, every time I've seen them perform, I've been impressed. (I also thought both were very gracious to fans at Skate Canada this year, when they were there to do commentary). So I guess the aversion is fading. This is another fun, high energy program from them, lots of big tricks and fun. (My main aversion now is Jamie's short hair, which just doesn't suit her very well IMO, but that's another issue).
Yuka Sato "Something about stars, and not a hatful of them!, aka GFB" Beautiful, smooth skating, very nicely presented program. She has such incredible stroking and basic skating, it is like watching water flow, just so smooth and steady. Some nice positions, and Ina Bauer, and the ongoing serene smile, everything about her is just lovely. A couple double jumps, and I think a 3T.
Mike Weiss "I'm already there" Nothing like a sap ballad after a little clip of talking about missing family while on the road! It's ok though, sometimes sap works. This time, I think it did. For all the "haterz", bah...Weiss is a good showman, and looks like he's going to be a fun pro skater. This was a nice, emotional program, well-designed and well-presented. Yes, he has the "Mike Pike" still, and still does the freedom-blades spread eagle and backflip, which real skating fans know are cheap tricks, but they are indeed audience pleasers, and that's what is important now. And his spins are still very nicely centered, good positions, and he still has the jumps. Mike is a nice addition to this tour IMO.
"Ladies in Lavender" (Yuka, Ekaterina, Jennifer) Nice ladies group number to some beautiful music. The timing a little off, and as nice a skater as Jennifer is, her basics are very much less than the other two ladies (of course, so would most skaters compared to those two). Nice, smooth and flowing.
Alexei Yagudin "Flamenco" Very nice program. A couple of triple toes, few spins, and of course, lots of choreography, footwork and character. I've really enjoyed watching his growth as a pro skater, and the programs this year both are awesome, and show a lot of maturity I think. I like the play with the hat in this one, and liked the fact that the audience appreciated his footwork as much if not more than the jumps themselves. Well done and well presented program. My only concern was that he looked to be in pain getting up from his ending position, and was kind of rubbing his right leg. I hope that with all the touring and the RSOI shows he's already done in the past few months, he's not overextending himself physically.
"60s medley" The ending group number before the intermission...Um, not my fave. I liked the music they chose, including "Crimson and Clover" and "Let the Sunshine in". The men in the horrible moth-eaten looking long hair wigs were just hideous, although the girls looked kind of cute in the "retro-style" costumes. Just thought this group number wasn't up to the quality as many of the group numbers have been over the past few years, and the idea was just kind of cheezy to me.
"24" The group number after intermission, involving theft, intrigue and investigation. Cute little group number to get back into the show, with some audience interaction as well.
Kulik "Go the distance" Again, I am just amazed by Ilia, the quality of his basics, and his beautiful interpretation and presentation. He puts himself totally into the program, and for the second time of the night the urge to give a standing "o" comes over me. He had a little glitch on the Y-spiral, but does that one AND the "hydrant spiral" better than many of the top-name ladies these days. He's just a beautiful skater to watch, through and through.
Ina/Zimmerman "Um, forgot the song, but it's a rock one!" Back in their element, with the rock music and big tricks, including the "fly high and say bye", and a wild, wild headbanger that just looked far too close for comfort! Great energy, and they seem more comfortable with this kind of number than the slower, romantic ones.
Robinson "I don't want to show off" Very cute, flirty number that I'm assuming is from some musical. Great costume, with gorgeous pink shiny dress under white "mink". Fun, cute and some time spent with four of the guys doing lifts as well. She is a cute and pleasant skater, perhaps nothing "special", but fun to watch.
Cousins "??" (Some kind of music that seemed vaguely religious in tone, like from Jesus Christ Superstar or something) Slowed down Stephen, and for me, a bit less interesting to watch. The program seemed kind of incongruous to me, in that the music seemed to have some religous-type feel and he's doing his usual hip gyrations at times. I don't know, as mentioned previously, I'm not predispositioned to like him so much, so perhaps that colored my perception of the program, but it was rather forgettable to me.
"Baseball" (Boys group number) Men in jeans swinging bats....what more to say? There is always the obligatory men's group number, and this one is fun to watch, but wasn't as fun for me as the "studz" and "Working time" numbers. And I hope those aren't real bats!
Gordeeva "More Latin music I don't know the name of" Back to beautiful skating with a stunning skater. She has incredible arms and hands, not a finger out of place ever, and some beautiful positions. Her flow and speed are incredible, and she presents her programs beautifully. Another potential standing "o" program. She reminds me of a combination Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, just class on ice.
Weiss "GSR" High-octane Mikey, with big tricks and crowd-pleasing program. It's really good to see him seeming to really enjoy himself performing. It seemed like his last season or two eligible were not very enjoyable for him, and not as successful as he would have liked. It's good to see the energy and smiles, and the audience really does enjoy him.
Sato/Dungjen "Tango music" Nice pairs program from them that is a little different, as usually they seem to do slow and romantic programs together. This was kind of fun and flirty, while still romantic, to some kind of tango music. She seems to fit really well into pairs, and they have some lifts that look like they've been doing pairs together for 20 years. Quite impressive, and a nice little kiss at the end!
Eldredge "No clue what the music was" I liked this program's costume better, black pants with a black print shirt. Again, double jumps, but did get a 3T with a little oopsie on the landing. Nice expression, footwork including some barrel rolls, but still a bit slower than I recall him being usually. He did have a beautiful blurred scratch spin at the end.
Yagudin "Blues for Klook" Ahhh, the dead bug program! I love this program, it reminds me of a cross between Browning and Beacom (in a good way!) Great facial expressions, fun movements, and very strange choreography at times which is just amusing, and enjoyed by the audience. Couple jumps, nice footwork, and really sold it well. It's nice to see him exploring different styles, and he did this really well.
Sale/Pelletier "One" Ok, major major points off for not using the original U2 version of this song...GRRRRR. Other than that, a nice performance; this wasn't really a slow version of the song, so it was kind of 2 upbeat programs in the show for them, which seems kind of unusual. Great lifts, really nice handstand on his arm for her, and again, very solid program.
Finale "I believe I can fly" Nice blend of individual elements and group skating, nice transitions between each of the individual skaters. Again, perhaps a little off on timing here and there, but not to be unexpected for the third show on tour.
Overall, I think better designed than last year's show, and the individual programs are almost all really wonderful. Was well worth the trip, the time and the money.
Basic general notes: As usual, costuming is, almost exclusively, beautiful. (I'll erase the 60s program from my mind with some brain bleach, although I liked Yuka's orange maribou vest).....there were some timing glitches in the group numbers (not unexpected in the third show of the tour)...No falls except poor Eldredge, who did a butt-plant trying a 3T in the finale, but recovered quickly...and it really kind of stinks to have no Bereshnaya/Sikharulidze anymore
But, the absence of Elena and Anton aside, I think this year's show was much better than last year.Opening, Act 1, to "Superman" theme. Not overwhelmingly unforgettable (because I've kind of forgotten it)....nice costumes in red/black, and nice introduction to most of the skaters.
Ilia Kulik "Too darn hot"...Um, yeah, he sure is!
If Ilia hadn't totally won me over years ago, he would have here, tonight, right off the bat with this program. Awesome choreography, beautiful smooth basic skating, and great character. If there were CoP-ish competitions for pro skaters, he would be world champion over and over, because the guy's got it all. Looking at him now, I think if he still trained all his jumps, he could STILL be competitive with some of the skaters these days (except his spins, but let's face it, aside from Klimkin, how many male Russian skaters in the last 15-20 years have been really good spinners?) My first inclination towards giving a standing "O" (thwarted only by being sardined in "say goodbye to your knees for 3 hours" seating).Ina/Zimmerman "Beautiful" (aka, wildly overused song sung by gawd-awful singer) The next act to draw my thoughts to "Wow, they could still be competing now" (at least in U.S. pairs)....not sure how their jumps are at this point, as they did no SBS, and I think only a throw 3S in the second number...but just based on the strength and uniqueness of their lifts, just WOW. It's nice that they got two numbers finally this year, and I liked this program...but it seems (just IMO) that they don't relate to each other as strongly during a slower-paced number, and my missing Bereshnaya/Sikharulidze is intensified.
Jennifer Robinson "GFB" (Generic female ballad) Very smooth, mature skating, she really is a lovely girl, and has some nice spin positions and centering. Other than striking me as "nice" and "wow, she seems pretty tall", not much to remember, other than a beautiful costume.
Stephen Cousins "GSR" (generic sexy rock, although I know I've probably heard the song 100 times before, I can't place it) Something about him, I find somewhat amphibian, akin to Morosov. Don't ask me what that means, because I don't know. Anyway, Cousins has always given me kind of an "ick" vibe, for no plausible reason. So this program, good enough effort, good enough energy, a few hip gyrating "look at my groin" moments, and less said the better. Sorry Steve.
Ekaterina Gordeeva "GLR" (generic Latin rhythm, with music I don't recognize). This is the program we saw her putting together in Simsbury, with black dress with yellow/red accents and long skirt tucked up at first, used as a scarf in the later part of the program. She is just totally exquisite, amazing skating skills, great speed and power. My mom thinks she is the most graceful female skater ever, and although I'm tempted to introduce mom to Yu-Na Kim, I won't argue the point, because she truly is in a very limited class. She doesn't have to jump.
Todd Eldredge "Um, something that sounds like Eddie Vedder-lite, aka Scott Stapp" Kind of an interesting costume shirt/pants combo...Not sure what's happened to him. I think he had some kind of surgery last year (ankle? maybe) He did all double jumps in this program...not sure if it was a bad night, or if he doesn't have triples right now. But it seems his spins are a bit slower than usual as well. Anyway....a nice Todd program, good drama and presentation, just a little "off" on the elements, but otherwise solid.
Sale/Pelletier "Super Freak" I've kind of had an aversion to them since the 2002 Oly thing...and yet, every time I've seen them perform, I've been impressed. (I also thought both were very gracious to fans at Skate Canada this year, when they were there to do commentary). So I guess the aversion is fading. This is another fun, high energy program from them, lots of big tricks and fun. (My main aversion now is Jamie's short hair, which just doesn't suit her very well IMO, but that's another issue).
Yuka Sato "Something about stars, and not a hatful of them!, aka GFB" Beautiful, smooth skating, very nicely presented program. She has such incredible stroking and basic skating, it is like watching water flow, just so smooth and steady. Some nice positions, and Ina Bauer, and the ongoing serene smile, everything about her is just lovely. A couple double jumps, and I think a 3T.
Mike Weiss "I'm already there" Nothing like a sap ballad after a little clip of talking about missing family while on the road! It's ok though, sometimes sap works. This time, I think it did. For all the "haterz", bah...Weiss is a good showman, and looks like he's going to be a fun pro skater. This was a nice, emotional program, well-designed and well-presented. Yes, he has the "Mike Pike" still, and still does the freedom-blades spread eagle and backflip, which real skating fans know are cheap tricks, but they are indeed audience pleasers, and that's what is important now. And his spins are still very nicely centered, good positions, and he still has the jumps. Mike is a nice addition to this tour IMO.
"Ladies in Lavender" (Yuka, Ekaterina, Jennifer) Nice ladies group number to some beautiful music. The timing a little off, and as nice a skater as Jennifer is, her basics are very much less than the other two ladies (of course, so would most skaters compared to those two). Nice, smooth and flowing.
Alexei Yagudin "Flamenco" Very nice program. A couple of triple toes, few spins, and of course, lots of choreography, footwork and character. I've really enjoyed watching his growth as a pro skater, and the programs this year both are awesome, and show a lot of maturity I think. I like the play with the hat in this one, and liked the fact that the audience appreciated his footwork as much if not more than the jumps themselves. Well done and well presented program. My only concern was that he looked to be in pain getting up from his ending position, and was kind of rubbing his right leg. I hope that with all the touring and the RSOI shows he's already done in the past few months, he's not overextending himself physically.
"60s medley" The ending group number before the intermission...Um, not my fave. I liked the music they chose, including "Crimson and Clover" and "Let the Sunshine in". The men in the horrible moth-eaten looking long hair wigs were just hideous, although the girls looked kind of cute in the "retro-style" costumes. Just thought this group number wasn't up to the quality as many of the group numbers have been over the past few years, and the idea was just kind of cheezy to me.
"24" The group number after intermission, involving theft, intrigue and investigation. Cute little group number to get back into the show, with some audience interaction as well.
Kulik "Go the distance" Again, I am just amazed by Ilia, the quality of his basics, and his beautiful interpretation and presentation. He puts himself totally into the program, and for the second time of the night the urge to give a standing "o" comes over me. He had a little glitch on the Y-spiral, but does that one AND the "hydrant spiral" better than many of the top-name ladies these days. He's just a beautiful skater to watch, through and through.
Ina/Zimmerman "Um, forgot the song, but it's a rock one!" Back in their element, with the rock music and big tricks, including the "fly high and say bye", and a wild, wild headbanger that just looked far too close for comfort! Great energy, and they seem more comfortable with this kind of number than the slower, romantic ones.
Robinson "I don't want to show off" Very cute, flirty number that I'm assuming is from some musical. Great costume, with gorgeous pink shiny dress under white "mink". Fun, cute and some time spent with four of the guys doing lifts as well. She is a cute and pleasant skater, perhaps nothing "special", but fun to watch.
Cousins "??" (Some kind of music that seemed vaguely religious in tone, like from Jesus Christ Superstar or something) Slowed down Stephen, and for me, a bit less interesting to watch. The program seemed kind of incongruous to me, in that the music seemed to have some religous-type feel and he's doing his usual hip gyrations at times. I don't know, as mentioned previously, I'm not predispositioned to like him so much, so perhaps that colored my perception of the program, but it was rather forgettable to me.
"Baseball" (Boys group number) Men in jeans swinging bats....what more to say?
There is always the obligatory men's group number, and this one is fun to watch, but wasn't as fun for me as the "studz" and "Working time" numbers. And I hope those aren't real bats!Gordeeva "More Latin music I don't know the name of" Back to beautiful skating with a stunning skater. She has incredible arms and hands, not a finger out of place ever, and some beautiful positions. Her flow and speed are incredible, and she presents her programs beautifully. Another potential standing "o" program. She reminds me of a combination Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, just class on ice.
Weiss "GSR" High-octane Mikey, with big tricks and crowd-pleasing program. It's really good to see him seeming to really enjoy himself performing. It seemed like his last season or two eligible were not very enjoyable for him, and not as successful as he would have liked. It's good to see the energy and smiles, and the audience really does enjoy him.
Sato/Dungjen "Tango music" Nice pairs program from them that is a little different, as usually they seem to do slow and romantic programs together. This was kind of fun and flirty, while still romantic, to some kind of tango music. She seems to fit really well into pairs, and they have some lifts that look like they've been doing pairs together for 20 years. Quite impressive, and a nice little kiss at the end!
Eldredge "No clue what the music was" I liked this program's costume better, black pants with a black print shirt. Again, double jumps, but did get a 3T with a little oopsie on the landing. Nice expression, footwork including some barrel rolls, but still a bit slower than I recall him being usually. He did have a beautiful blurred scratch spin at the end.
Yagudin "Blues for Klook" Ahhh, the dead bug program! I love this program, it reminds me of a cross between Browning and Beacom (in a good way!) Great facial expressions, fun movements, and very strange choreography at times which is just amusing, and enjoyed by the audience. Couple jumps, nice footwork, and really sold it well. It's nice to see him exploring different styles, and he did this really well.
Sale/Pelletier "One" Ok, major major points off for not using the original U2 version of this song...GRRRRR. Other than that, a nice performance; this wasn't really a slow version of the song, so it was kind of 2 upbeat programs in the show for them, which seems kind of unusual. Great lifts, really nice handstand on his arm for her, and again, very solid program.
Finale "I believe I can fly" Nice blend of individual elements and group skating, nice transitions between each of the individual skaters. Again, perhaps a little off on timing here and there, but not to be unexpected for the third show on tour.
Overall, I think better designed than last year's show, and the individual programs are almost all really wonderful. Was well worth the trip, the time and the money.
