Gotta Skate 3 on ESPN2 last night

[Mel On Ice]

I realize of course this was an old show since they were advertising Lilo & Stitch on the boards and Scott Hamilton was performing his Don Quixote program and Brausser and Eisler were there. Thought I'd share some thoughts on this special anyway!

Never grows old: I would watch Brian Orser do edges over Plushenko doing quads any day. And in last night's program, I'd take Orser over Scott. I'd take Orser over Browning. I'd take Orser over Orser.

Never Grows Old 2: Anton and Elena's "The Kid" program.

Enough already: If I want to watch skating, I want to watch skating. There was live music, skating, dancers and acrobats. I know some of the shows are going in the total theatre experience direction, but I want to watch SKATING.

Severely underrated: I wasn't able to watch much skating during her eligible years, but why isn't Josee Chouinard an international superstar? And why hasn't she designed and released her own skating apparel label? Lovely to watch and always impeccibly dressed.

Chacked: TV Guide said Todd Eldredge and Jennifer Robinson were to perform as well. Didn't see 'em.

[Tpangner]

By the description you did, it was the 2002 version, not last year's version. Jennifer and Todd wasn't in the show in 2002.

[skaternum]

I have to say, I don't care for Elena & Anton's "The Kid" program. It totally leaves me cold. In fact, the more I see of them, the less I like Elena as a performer. There's always a glassy, phony, "I have no idea what's going on around me" look in her eyes. She never seems to change expressions. At last year's SOI, when the men were doing their Elvis "A little less conversation" number and the women were dancing at the boards, she was right in front of us. Man, was it spooky. She was totally going through the motions, with no change on her face at all. Weird. I respect her skating abilities immensely, but I just can't get into her as a performer.

He, on the other hand, is wonderfully expressive.

[Alexa]

Chacked: TV Guide said Todd Eldredge and Jennifer Robinson were to perform as well. Didn't see 'em.

I had set the VCR to tape because based on the listed performers in TV Guide it looked like it was going to be the most recent Gotta Skate that had Michael Buble in it (both Jennifer and Todd had both been in that one).

When I saw the intro and the cast of the one they actually showed, I realized they put in the wrong description and were showing the previous year's Gotta Skate.

Still hoping they will replay the Gotta Skate with Michael Buble.

[manleywoman]

I couldn't watch more than 5 minutes straight of this show, and then switched channels back and forth to it several times from another show, because the Gotta Skate was nothing but fluff. No real skating. Utter disappointment for me anyhow.

[Artemis]

Gotta Skate II was the weakest of the three so far, IMO. The first one was great because it was conceived as originally titled -- Gotta Dance -- and all the fabulous non-skater guest stars. III was great because of Michael Bublé :yum: and because of the thematic approach. In Gotta Skate II, it was just another show with no cohesion, and the non-skater guests were lame, IIRC. (I seem to recall those guys on those stupid bouncey stilt things. :roll: )

[Aaron W]

Enough already: If I want to watch skating, I want to watch skating. There was live music, skating, dancers and acrobats. I know some of the shows are going in the total theatre experience direction, but I want to watch SKATING.

I happened to be flipping through the channels and caught this show on, but it was during one of the absolutely stupid dance numbers. So I didn't keep on watching. Like you, I also want to watch SKATING. Essentially every attempt I've seen to add stage dancing, live singing, props, etc, to a figure skating show just end up being soooo corny. Get out on the d*mn ice, show me quality edges, decent spins, some triples or at least a double axel, and do some complicated choreography, or get off the ice. At least that's the way I feel personally.

[mikey]

I completely agree. I tried to watch this again the other night, and it was just too painful. The acrobat guys hanging from the ceiling and bouncing on those stilt thingys, while oddly intriguing in their own way, were just another distraction. The ballet chick (yea, I know who she is...) frolicking at the end of the rink seemed like shameless promotion and self-interest- another distraction.

I can handle a bit of stage lighting, and even an occasional live vocalist performing near the ice. But all those generic ballads- blech. And props should be outlawed- as soon as I see someone bringing a chair or a rose onto the ice, I start falling asleep. Usually, I am just disappointed with the overall lack of difficulty. It's disappointing to see skaters you once loved struggling to eke out a triple toe or even a double axel becuase that's all they can do any more... And I won't even start in on those cheesy group numbers!

BUT, to each his own- if people like that kind of thing, so be it.

[Aimless]

I have to say, I don't care for Elena & Anton's "The Kid" program. It totally leaves me cold. In fact, the more I see of them, the less I like Elena as a performer. There's always a glassy, phony, "I have no idea what's going on around me" look in her eyes. She never seems to change expressions. At last year's SOI, when the men were doing their Elvis "A little less conversation" number and the women were dancing at the boards, she was right in front of us. Man, was it spooky. She was totally going through the motions, with no change on her face at all. Weird. I respect her skating abilities immensely, but I just can't get into her as a performer.

He, on the other hand, is wonderfully expressive.

I totallly agree and it's always bothered me. She's robotic and singularly expressionless. I understand that there might be certain good reasons for this, related to her past injury. I wonder if anybody remembers her from before that, whether she was more animated. I'm reminded too of Angela Nikodinov prior to her reinvention. This is not uncommon actually in Russian women--I'm thinking of another stoneface, Tatiana Totmianina. She *never* smiles but at least Tatiana has some intensity and presence. With Elena one wonders if there's anybody in there. Yet and but, from the neck down, an exquisite skater.