Tuesday, September 27, 2011

This and That


The incomparable Kurt Browning killed it by performing to Moves Like Jagger during the opening of Battle of the Blades.  He is still the best male skater in the world.


As I feared, Tanith Belbin looked awkward without Ben dragging her around the ice.  Tanith has a fantastic diva personality, but she just didn't look comfortable on the ice herself.  This show really displays the individual talents of the pros and the hockey players.  We will get to see Tanith use her pairs background.


Note the individual talents of Elena Berezhnaya.  Her CSKA background shows.  Their choreography was simple, but it may pay off in the long run to learn how to walk before you run.


Mirai Nagasu's free skate from Nebelhorn.  I like the program better than last year's, but she needs to skate it with more authority.  Mirai has loads of talent.  She doesn't always skate with control or intention the way someone like Michelle Kwan does.  My inner Peggy Fleming needs to yell at her for not holding out her movements longer.  The spread eagle sequence is not as effective as she could be because she rushes through it and never allowed herself to have a true 'moment' on the ice.  If Mirai can get in better shape and double the amount of programs she does a day, this could be a successful season for her.  The difference between last summer and this summer shows.  Mirai now needs to take it up a few notches to compete with the top girls in the World.

Julianne Hough and Russell Brand are set to costar in The Mandate Project



Marie-France and Bryan


Violetta and Cale


Annabelle and Brad


Marcy and Bryan


Kim and Russ


Tessa and David


It is a strange day when girls from CGA go 1-2 in a vault final and are weakest on uneven bars,


Derek Hough and Ricki Lake's Jive from DWTS


Hubbell and Donohue are working for me as a dance team.


Denney and Coughlin (note that they have differing axel technique)

11 comments:

  1. Who has been editing music for Lori Nichol the past few years? 'Cause they suck.

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  2. Mirai's short was better

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  3. Here's a slightly better view of Mirai's LP, as seen from the front and above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgE5hSMKhpQ

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  4. I have not been impressed with many of Lori Nicol's programs of recent years, but I really like this program a lot and think it could go down as one of the great ladies LP's if Mirai can get it together.

    I don't have a very good understanding of jump technique, so cannot speak to that, but I am concerned about the worried expression on Mirai's face throughout, it really undercuts the emotional impact of the very-emotional music. I wonder if Michelle would consider coaching Mirai on giving good 'face'.

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  5. Maybe all this stuff is more about the athlete than about the training? I think we make too much of very limited data points when saying "WOGA is good at bars" and Bresteyans good at vault" or the like.

    You're only looking at a very small number of notorious athletes. Asac is good at vault because of her body. Nastia is good at bars because of her body (and the piro-whore code).

    I wonder if we looked at a larger sample (say level 10s) whether we would really see differences in training ability of the gyms.

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  6. Kurt is greatness personified.

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  7. OK, I love Mirai, but I needed to see this again to regain my faith in Figure Skating:

    http://youtu.be/Kwr4zH53-bo

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  8. Lori gave Mirai a classic Michelle program. So much more mature and elegant than I have seen from her, nice feeling of the music at times, but she does not reach and hold the moves or give any indication of "feeling" them a la Michelle. That spread eagle could be divine if done right.

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  9. That's right Mirai is the natural talent unlike Rachael Flatt, but it's not common for the naturally talented to really suck it up and work their asses off like an Evan or a Rachael. I love her but in the beginning of the video she made that face she made in nationals last season, and i knew she was going to fall. that whole "i got this down, i'm the best skater in the world" look, she does it to boost her confidence but it never works! the only thing that does work and does get real confidence is to work like an Olympian every season. Yu-na has lost her will to work as hard as she did 2009-'10 and her natural talent did not save her in last season's worlds, did it? and that is one naturally talented woman, but the truth is, talent will not help you finish faster, you still have to work as hard as everybody else. sometimes in practice it might seem like she or somebody else has got the jumps down but it isn't enough to nail some jumps in practice. she needs muscle memory as does everyone else and that can only be achieved by working everyday for long periods. the talent will be her vantage in the end, when all the Rachaels and Carolinas finish clean, Mirai and other talents will shine because of their artistic merit, and the international judges -will- see that.

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  10. OMG forgot how much I love Browning.
    Didn't get a chance to see all the videos- but did he really skate to Moves Like Jagger in hockey skates? (as promised in the top-of-show chat in the first video?)

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  11. Nagasu should think Yuna Kim when she goes through her spread eagle.

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