Hallmark Broadcast

[Alexa]

I have to say that this year's Hallmark Championship broadcast was probably one of the worst ever. I don't mean the skaters or the performances, I am definitely talking about the actual broadcast. Saturday night's broadcast made no sense...they literally wasted 35 minutes before any skater even took the ice with the exception of one short program. They really would have had time to show several more of the short programs. And it would have looked so much better, because they came off so unorganized waiting for the skaters to take the ice, as if they did not know how to fill the time. It was absurd what they said to Sarah about worrying about her not making it, or whatever it was they said.


Sunday was about as bad...they spend two hours to spread out the showing of the pairs programs, and reshowed Yuka's and Sarah's LP, which we had already seen. Even though I knew who won, I would have liked to see the short programs....especially Alexei's because I really like his new short program.

Anyway, I am not a fan of the Sandra commenting team in the first place, but this year they looked so unprofessional in the way this comp was handled. JMHO.

[bluejewel]

I don't understand why Sandra Bezic is still hired to do commentary for these types of shows! I was sickened when she raved on and on about Sale and Pelletier's artistic program since whe is the one who choreographed it!!!! How brazen!!! I thought it was hilarious when Jamie gave this all away by saying: "Thanks, Sandra!" in the K&C.
I should have known the program was a Bezic one, though, because of all the hip-shaking and the supposedly flirtatious expressions. I just hate cutesy, coy, sexist programs!!! I would like to see actual skating. There was a great deal of posing in that program, and deductions should have been made for that. I found the judges' marks to be totally ridiculous. With all the yakking about S&P, though, I figured that they would be given the win in spite of how others skated, and I was right.
I would have given first place to Pang and Tong, who are artistically beautiful, and who have extremely difficult pair elements, much more difficult than anything in S&P's programs. S&Z had problems, most likely because they have been skating so much on the Grand Prix circuit. Yuka and Jason were fantastic, and great to watch. It was so nice to see their mature programs.

[memememe76]

I was sickened when she raved on and on about Sale and Pelletier's artistic program since whe is the one who choreographed it!!!

Tell me what she said, because all I recall Sandra saying about the program was that it should've been performed in dark lighting.

Sandra was pretty quiet during the entire telecast.

P&T better than S&P, S&D and S&Z? Hee.

[Emanfan]

I do not recall her "raving on and on". I will go home tonight and re-watch it and will write it down verbatim.

[Polish]

Originally posted by bluejewel
I don't understand why Sandra Bezic is still hired to do commentary for these types of shows! I was sickened when she raved on and on about Sale and Pelletier's artistic program since whe is the one who choreographed it!!!! How brazen!!! I thought it was hilarious when Jamie gave this all away by saying: "Thanks, Sandra!" in the K&C.


I thought that Bezic actually seemed a bit embarassed when they finished their number. Didn't she make a comment about the lighting needing to be darker because of all the action? I definitely sensed she wasn't boasting about her work. :P

And she certainly didn't rave about their PROGRAM, but she did rave about them and their work ethic, personalities, etc.

[Jenny]

Why some people have such a hatred of Sandra Bezic is beyond me. There are far worse commentators IMO.

As for the sexy programs, those who hate them are definitely in the minority. At *every* show and competition I've ever been too, sexy programs and sexy moves are wildly applauded and cheered. Skaters clearly enjoy performing them as well.

If you don't like them, then at least aim your fury in the right direction. The choreographers and skaters are just giving fans what they want.

Jenny

[Meredith]

If I had a problem with the Hallmark telecast, it was the quality of the picture. At first I thought it was my tape or (yikes!) VCR or television. Then I rewound the tape further to the Canadian Open on TNT and found it perfectly clear. Only problem was Roz was dissing one of the skaters so I doubt I'll ever watch that event.

Sandra Bezic rarely says anything that bothers me. She, unlike some of her counterparts, usually knows when to comment and does so in a well-modulated tone of voice. In other words, she does NOT drown out the music. I also appreciate that she does not put the skaters down with dismissive terms like sloppy and ill-prepared.

People are never going to agree when it comes to commentators and I think it's a matter of taste more than anything else. I prize quiet. In my perfect skating world all commentary would be reserved until the skaters were in the kiss and cry area.

I thought the entire event was pretty well judged. Pang and Tong are indeed lovely and I can't wait until Worlds to see them again. They DID make some pretty serious errors right in front of us that I'm not certain those were picked up by the camera. I was not surprised with the results.

I do agree that the network wasted time but imagine that there are a lot of contingencies in airing a program live that we can't even imagine. I do wish they had shown more of the technical programs on Sunday. Even with golf cutting into the show's airtime, many of the technical programs were well worth seeing.

[Louis]

Geez.... how much content did you want to see in Sale/Pelletier's program? Just off the top of my head, I remember at least 3 lifts, 2 pair spins, a throw 3salchow, and a BO death spiral. I'm not a big fan of programs where skaters rely on "sexiness" in place of actual skating (think Philippe Candeloro), but I don't think you can lump this program in with those.

[Polish]

S&P's program also had a split triple twist!

[bluejewel]

If a person choreographs programs for skaters, that person should not be doing commentary when the programs are being skated. We have enough commentators who could be hired to replace these choreographers. I would suggest Christopher Bowman, who is very intelligent, knows a lot about skating, and is good at talking off the top of his head. Also, he has a pleasant voice and doesn't speak in a condenscending manner about skaters who aren't personal favorites or clients.

I don't consider cutesy, hip-shaking programs to be the least bit sexy.
Sexy would be Maria Butyrskaya skating almost anything, or Klimova and Ponomarenko skating "Kiss That Girl", a wonderful number from one of those usually horrid Disney skating specials. I think that maturity and sexy go together. Winking and giving coy looks on the ice looks stupid.

[Emanfan]

Originally posted by bluejewel
Winking and giving coy looks on the ice looks stupid.

Whatever...thankfully, the judges are not of the same mindset as you.

[Polish]

Let me guess, bluejewel is a B&S fan.....

:roll:

[HeatherC]

I was at the Hallmark in person and trust me, Jamie & Dave WON this competition. Not even close in my book. Pang & Tong are wonderful but their freeskate was not as crisp or as well done as their SP was earlier in the day. All the pairs skated pretty well in the Free skates IMO. :) I do have to agree that NBC sure reached a bit on the Sunday broadcast. Jamie and Dave were shown at like 5:30 or something and I was like, "so what do you show now for the next 24 minutes?!" I thought maybe they would show the awards ceremony (which was hysterical as all the skaters were goofing off, I definitely got pics of that, it was all right in front of me!!) but no. Oh well. The TV version was not nearly as good as being there, trust me!! LOL :D

Oh, and Sandra did a great job commentating. She left everything alone and let the skating speak for itself. I knew that she had choreographed their program so I was curious about how she would talk about it and I think she did a great job. The program is fabulous. I don't think it comes across as well on TV. In person, you could hear the hoots and hollering from the crowd (who LOVED everything about it) and Jamie & Dave really sold the program too. They had a ball! Sandra did just fine. How about Andrea though practically yanking the skaters back to the couch for interviews?!!? I was laughing because there was Jamie wanting to wave to the crowd and Andrea like grabbed her arm! I was like, Jamie isn't going anywhere, let her wave to us! LOL :lol We were sitting right across from the K&C so I saw this all day! Ok, I rambled enough in my posted report.....I gotta go! :D

[CoolbugSuz]

I have to agree with Heather. S & P definitely had the best pairs program, and since it was an interpretive free skate, they sure did win over the audience (and the judges) with their charisma!

I am completely objective when it comes to pairs. I was there to see Alexei skate live for the first time in my life, and it was simply wonderful! His "Racing" short program was a lot of fun with really nifty footwork, and his Overcome long program was serious and passionate. I was so happy for him after he completed his jumps and could breathe easier. With his hip injury, I was really nervous, but I knew that he was completely focused on getting through his program cleanly while skating with lots of passion. Sigh.....

Anyhow, my dream came true and I got to meet Alexei later on that night. Not only did he live up to the expectations that I had in my mind, he far exceeded them. He was very sweet, attentive, and friendly. I shall remember that experience for the rest of my life. Yay!

Suz

[Artemis]

Originally posted by HeatherC
Oh, and Sandra did a great job commentating. She left everything alone and let the skating speak for itself. I knew that she had choreographed their program so I was curious about how she would talk about it and I think she did a great job.

I'm not a huge fan of Sandra's commentary normally, but I have noticed in the past that when it comes to one of "her" programs, she does generally tend to stay pretty silent. Which is as it should be, really! but good on her for that. But then again, when it comes to pro-ams or pro comps in general, I'd rather have no commentary at all during any of the programs!

p.s. For anyone who's seen both Sears Open and Hallmark: which version do you think was better (of S&P's programs)? I haven't watched my Hallmark tape yet.

[Emanfan]

Originally posted by Artemis
p.s. For anyone who's seen both Sears Open and Hallmark: which version do you think was better (of S&P's programs)? I haven't watched my Hallmark tape yet.

Without question, the Sears Open version was the better of the two. The "handstand" lift at Hallmark was a little wobbly and hence their conversation on the couch after marks. In Red Deer, it was dead on. That said, they really were great at both competitions.

As long as B&S are not there, they still outclass everyone else. Speed, lifts, throws, spins, everything.

[adrianchew]

I am starting to watch the Hallmark broadcast - I was there. The hotel is not a 5-10 minute drive - it is a 5-10 minute walk. The is exactly one not very long city block between the hotel and the arena.

The camera angle is HORRIBLE... 8O I just saw them showing Sarah's short program, very bad camera angle. And the closeups on skaters - baaaaaad! This is NBC? I'd be thankful ABC has the contract right now for major stuffs.

[adrianchew]

Who did the chereography for Takeishi's Mummy program? I much prefer his interpretitive program and short program chereography to Mummy.

The effects of Todd's program was totally lost on TV. I see now why the home audiences didn't like it nearly as much as those in attendance. :(

Mike's program came across good on TV. Live, Todd's program had even more energy and speed than Mike, but all that was lost somehow on TV.

Aleksei's interpretitive program came across ok on TV. You truly don't get a sense of how amazing his basic skating is, the sureness and fluidity of movement. If only to watch Aleksei alone - it was certainly to me worth the price of admission to Hallmark and the trip/time/cost/etc. ;)

[Meredith]

Originally posted by adrianchew
This is NBC? I'd be thankful ABC has the contract right now for major stuffs.

Wonder if NBC's *A* team was elsewhere shooting something else.

[Artemis]

Originally posted by adrianchew
Who did the chereography for Takeishi's Mummy program? I much prefer his interpretitive program and short program chereography to Mummy.

I can't remember who did Takeshei's Mummy, but I too was hugely disappointed in it when I saw it at Skate Canada. His goal this year is to concentrate on his jumps, which I guess is why he chose this type of program ... but it doesn't suit him, and doesn't do anything to highlight his strengths (i.e., musicality).

[Alexeiskate]

Originally posted by adrianchew
The camera angle is HORRIBLE... 8O I just saw them showing Sarah's short program, very bad camera angle. And the closeups on skaters - baaaaaad! This is NBC? I'd be thankful ABC has the contract right now for major stuffs.

I'm not sure ABC is doing any better job of covering skating. At the last televised skating competition on ABC, it seemed like the camera was constantly focusing on the skater's foot during the spin. I also hate it when the camera immediately go to a closeup of the face during a Michelle's or Sasha's spriral.

[summertime]

IIRC, I read somewhere that it was choreographed by Giuseppe Arena.

[Jenny]

CTV is no better - as Sasha was entering her charlotte, I said to hubby watch watch you have to see this move only to have them close up on her face and a bit of her upward leg. Unbelievable.

Jenny

[summertime]

Yeah, with respect to that CTV shot, it was pretty frustrating !

[adrianchew]

Originally posted by Alexeiskate

I'm not sure ABC is doing any better job of covering skating. At the last televised skating competition on ABC, it seemed like the camera was constantly focusing on the skater's foot during the spin. I also hate it when the camera immediately go to a closeup of the face during a Michelle's or Sasha's spriral.

Lalique and Cup of Russia coverage was obviously not by an ABC film crew - they used whatever the local stations shot. You can tell the differences - at Skate Canada, there was actually dual set of cameras for ABC.

Still, the zooming in during the spirals is irritating, but NBC's camera angles overall was wrong this time, not just zooming. One of their cameras is way too low/close to the ice.

[Rachel]

I may be wrong about this, but isn't just about all skating filmed by the same Canadian camera crew?

Camera angles and close-ups and such are determined by the director, not the camerapeople. There used to be one guy who directed a lot of the fluffier pro comps who always did a dreadful job. I wonder if he's still around.