#but i liked Piper and Paul's program very much

[sunskate]

I understand the veto. The Pride and Prejudice soundtrack is full of beautiful music, but it’s also lacking dynamics. And Tessa and Scott by the time of Carmen were as forceful and dynamic a team of skaters as you can find. They’d moved past their Valse Triste/Umbrellas/Mahler softness. I think playing Lizzie and Darcy would’ve felt a bit like a step back no matter how gorgeous it could’ve been.

Wuthering Heights, on the other hand…

I wanted them to interpret Heathcliff and Cathy for *years*. Years! I loved the program Piper and Paul put together, but the interpretation was a bit high school drama club.

it's true it's very gentle throughout. if they had wanted to do a P&P program they could have done what CPom did with Perfume and used other pieces to augment it? i kinda disagree about them moving past softness. Latch is so very soft. it's just a more mature softness. Mahler 5 is deceptive - holding the energy and sustaining the build of that slow but very deep music takes so much control and strength. the magic in that performance is that they held the tension that's in the music throughout. to appear soft while doing that is a feat of both performance and choreography

Wuthering Heights worked so well for Piper and Paul, and while VM could definitely have skated it, i get if they weren't drawn to play those characters for a whole season. Carmen as a character might be toxic, but the music and drama is fiery and direct and sexy. where Catherine and Heathcliff feel kind of poisonous and not very pleasant as people. and it's a story of childhood friends with an unusual and intense connection who end very badly

[irrieia]

Some Honest GP Espoo Thoughts

Women:

Mana was the star of the event for me. not sold on the sp (the stsq was great), but the free was stunning! It really showed her maturity in performance and her commitment to the music. And her skating skills!! imo she has the best edge quality of the women’s event. The coaching change seems to be paying off. She looks happier and I think she will continue to develop artistically with Mihoko. 

Mai’s sp was great. the fs… not so much. One glaring issue I noticed was the amount of “hunching down” movements in the stsq. Mai doesn’t have the best upper body control so it just looks… bad. I blame David Wilson for this cuz how to you choreograph both programs and have such different results

Ice dance:

Did I tear up watching Piper and Paul’s Evita? Yes. Please dont judge. I have so many things to say about these two but the tldr is I am happy they are still competing and showing us they have more to offer. I really love the circular step with little touches reminiscent of the Ravensburger Waltz. And a mini lift during the step that doesn’t feel forced and matches the music! love the little changes they made since SCI, but I wish they do something with the straight line lift, right now it doesn’t match the crescendo of the music as well as it should. The RoLi is wonderful tho. 

Kaitlin and Jean-Luc’s Oft are exquisite as always. Perhaps it’s my nitpick, but I felt like they’ve gone with stylistically similar fd for a long time now. And I prefer last season’s Chopin over this.

Juulia and Matthias had my favorite combo lift of the event. That RoLi is absolutely beautiful. So many intricate changes of position, each on the accent of the music. They are another team that is stylistically limited, but Schubert is a great choice.

Natalie and Filip my loves!! Their sheer power and speed are SO impressive I am in awe. This climate change fd has grown on me. I think they made the right decision reducing the number of voiceovers. Some very innovative and intricate movements. Still need some polishing but gosh I love watching them skate. (@benoit richaud, this is how you do a climate change themed program)

Men 

My only thought on the mens is that I like both the Selevko brothers but neither of them have been performing well and now there’s a third candidate fighting for that one spot and I am concerned. 

Bonus of me dragging Benoit richaud for the 20395135th time

You can really tell when a program is choreographed by Benoit because it’s just so awkward and straight up ugly at times. He really forces a skater to adapt to his choreography. I think Shae-lynn has the same problem sometimes, but her clients are often times good performers already so it isn’t noticeable. But Benoit choreographs for many young skaters still trying to find their footing artistically and does nothing but accentuate their flaws. Sometimes it feels like he’s more concerned with being perceived as “edgy” and “woke” than making enjoyable programs. (I still can’t get over his insistence on continuity between the short and the free like ????? Why.) 

[stitching-in-time]

So the World Figure Skating Championships are over, and I have many things I have to flail about, so here they are! First of all, ice dance!

Ice dance is usually my fave, and it did not disappoint this year. Chock & Bates are better than they've ever been, I love both their programs this year. They def have my fave rhythm dance this year, and I LOVED the 80s theme for this year's rhythm dance, it's been so much fun seeing what all the teams come up with. (This is the only year I've watched every single team in the rhythm dance because they've all made such fun routines.) I really love how Maddie & Evan have been finding new and different movement in their skating this year, and they have this swagger that's so cool and just says 'look at us, we're confident, we're champions'. I'm really glad they were able to win a world title with a clean skate this time, since they were obviously disappointed about not having that last year.

But for me, Gilles & Poirier were the champions of my heart. Their Wuthering Heights freedance is a masterpiece, and as an english literature nerd, I especially appreciated that they brought out the tension and conflict of the book characters in their dance, as well as the beauty and romance. They really, really got it, in a way a lot of people don't. I wish they would have won the gold, but silver is still a step up from last year, and I think they can still do it next year if they keep getting better and better like they have been. Honestly I didn't love their free dance when I first saw it, but it's grown on me throughout the season, and they've been doing it a little better each time. I finally fell in love with it at Four Continents, it was absolutely breathtaking and they totally blew me away. Even with almost no one in the audience to really give them a reaction at that event, they fucking brought it, and I felt like they were really gonna contend for the title at Worlds after that. I was a little disappointed when they placed third in the rhythm dance, but I knew they would kill in the free, and they totally did. I'm so happy they had such an amazing skate in front of a home crowd at Worlds, and they so utterly deserved to win that free dance! I used to think of them as the weirdos who always did campy stuff, but they've really matured and brought that storytelling sense to deeper, more interesting stuff, and I'm very excited to see what they'll do next.

While I feel that Piper & Paul's freedance at worlds was the performance of the season, my actual favorite freedance in general belongs to Julia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis. It's every bit as much of a masterpiece as Piper and Paul's. So many new, interesting shapes, so perfectly executed, it's modern and ethereal and ugh!! So good!! I really do think Turkkila and Versluis are undermarked most of the time, they have the most perfect posture and carriage and extension of any team out there, and they make their lifts seem to defy gravity and float, that one they open their freedance with is insane, they make it look so effortless, like she doesn't weigh anything, and he's just like, lifting a feather. The cynical part of me wonders if they'd be ranked higher if they were Ice Academy skaters, since it seems like all the Ice Academy teams move up really quickly, regardless of if they've improved that quickly or not. Most of them are very good, but there are a few that don't have the polish of Turkkila & Versluis that ended up ahead of them with pretty similar technical content, so I wonder how much of it is political. But I won't dwell on negatives, because there was a lot of good to be celebrated!

Honestly I used to find Guignard & Fabbri boring to watch, but the last two seasons they've really gotten much better in terms of presentation, and now they've finally got the whole package of being artists as well as technicians. They definitely had an unfortunate worlds freedance, with too many little things going wrong, but in general I like both their programs this year, and good for them hanging on to bronze.

I'm really disappointed that my other faves Hawayek & Baker decided not to compete this year, I would have loved to have seen their programs in competition, they would have slayed. (They posted their rhythm and freedances they were working on this year on their instagrams, def go watch if you haven't seen yet, they are AMAZING!) And apparently Kaitlyn was dj for Worlds this year, so at least she's still there in some capacity and not abandoned the skating world entirely. I really hope they decided to come back next year!

All in all it was very exciting and fun to watch, there were some great younger teams like Lim & Quan and Mrazkova & Mrazek that did really well who I'll be interested to see progress in the future.

All in all, it was a great Worlds and I think it's shaping up to be a great field for the next Olympics!

[anewbeginningagain]

Imho the dropping of Piper and Paul should've been happening all season. They looked like a middling team here, which they are. They need to read the room and retire already, this is just sad at this point. Canada desperately needs a second younger team to rise at least to the middle pack internationally so that Marjo and Zak aren't put in a position to carry the entire fed on their backs for the next ~7 years, even tho they'll benefit from it politically. Lolo and Nik are being held together with washi tape and prayers at this point and LaLa will be nat champs next season, there's no doubt in my mind. The longer that Sk8Can keeps postponing a rebuild, the worse it's gonna get. You can't do in ice dance what Lia and Trennt did in the pairs, it's just not possible. Even VM needed WeaPo to maintain spots, especially when they were injured. They need to start thinking about Olympic spots, team event switchouts and stuff, and they need to start thinking about them now.

The scores they got at the start of the season made no sense, not just because they were inflated, but also because it put them very much ahead of everyone when we all know the gap does not exist and it did it with them having perhaps the worst set of programs our of worlds top 10 if we are being honest.

I mean look at Canada at WTT, they are dead last when they have all of their national champions competing. If we thought Beijing was a pretty low point it now seems like this quad is not going to be much better, especially for singles, and you can't survive as a team only with decent pairs and dance teams.

If I were Skate Canada, I would put most of my backing behind P/M and L/L as they are the most likely to do well in 2026. They also need to start investing in the singles, they deprived them of so much opportunities this season that it's laughable, and Skate Canada are not being surpassed even by small obscure federations. We can put it on it being a building phase, but it was said about the previous quad too and things are not looking much better with Keegan retiring and Madi looking like she won't be continuing much longer (imo).

I will be shocked if L/L will be national champions next season if G/P and Canadanes are still around, they were close to Candanes this year nationally because Canadanes fucked up in both segments, they were not close to them internationally. I expect it will be like TS getting a boost after Marie France and Patrice retired in 2007/08 season, L/L will just have to stick it out. However if G/P won't retire after Montreal Worlds then Skate Canada will be insane not to push L/L above them.

Wait, when did TS need WeaPo to maintain spots? They never WD from worlds and were on the podium for every worlds they attended aside from their senior debut. In 2008 they finished 2nd but weapo finished 17th and the other Candian team 19th, in 2009 they were 3rd and Paul Porier came through and finished 10th, in 2010 their were 1st and Paul again came through and finished 7th, in 2011 they were 2nd and weapo were 5th but Paul again was 10th so the three spot were ok even without weapo, in 2012 TS were 1st and weapo did help since the 3rd team (Hi Asher!) was 13th, and in 2013 TS were 2nd and weapo did help since G/P finished super low (18th). Anyway my point is that WeaPo did help but so did other teams. That does not negate the fact that you are absolutely right and that Canada need a super strong team in 4th which I don't think L/LG are and S/F are legit the opposite of that. Then again, B/B are not the answer either (at least imo) so who knows how that will play.

[macaroni-rascal]

I’m surprised you don’t want G/F to get on the podium just because of the statement it could make about good skating skills. But I also 100% agree with your dream podium lol

I really think G/P will win GPF. I thought their scores would dip after skate Canada like they did last year. Obviously not. BUT they’ve been giving the judges permission to score them high unlike last season when they kept making mistakes and had uninspired programs. Plus, I don’t think the judges are ready to give G/F a gold at a major competition.

It’s also interesting how skipping senior Bs has worked out great for piper and Paul but not so much for Madi and Evan. But it’s clear that piper and Paul put the work in this off season. And they have material that resonates with them and that they love. I felt about their programs last season as I feel about chock and bated this season: forced.

There’s a very very good chance Bock don’t even make the podium. Perhaps they were dealing with an injury or they had fatigue. But piper and Paul also toured this summer and debuted two trained and well-composed programs. So missing challenger comps didn’t hurt them.

If Bock were dealing with an injury, it might have been best for them to pull out of Grand Prix season and spend that time training and getting feedback on their programs. Apparently the USFSF was like WTF about their programs at skate America. Whatever they debuted at champs camp must have been unfinished and skate America was the first time anyone from the fed saw their full programs.

I don’t think it will happen but they should definitely pull out of the Grand Prix final and go back to the drawing board. Madi can say she’s getting her wisdom teeth removed

I wish I could get behind Guignard and Fabbri, but they just have negative charisma on the ice, and no matter what they do I zone out completely and never end up watching them. They are amazing technicians, but that's about it.

The judges are certrainly signalling, and loudly, that Gilles and Poirier are the front runners. I do feel that of the supposed top three teams (C/B, G/F, and G/P), Piper and Paul have the best set of programs, hands down. I would have the Canadanes second in programs, and then Hawayek and Baker.

I agree, it's clear Piper and Paul are very into their programs, they skate them like they love them and that is infectious. Meanwhile, Chock and Bates are skating programs they seem utterly disconnected from, and as you said, forced.

For pure chaos, I would love for Chock and Bates to be off the podium, they don't have the skating skills to be a top team, even their coach has said so, and it would be better for the Canadanes or H/B to get that bronze medal.

If I were Chock and Bates, and seeing how the season was going, I would pull out of the GPF, lie about the reason, and either create a new free dance, or go back to an old one, in fact @anewbeginningagain and I agreed they could go back to their Elvis program, rework a couple things, and come out strong for Nationals, 4CC and Worlds.

[harocat]

with the Olympics coming up, obviously I'll be posting about FS more than usual so here are my faves of the skaters competing:

Women:

Wakaba Higuchi

Karen Chen

Alysa Liu

First and foremost it will be these three. I'm hanging on a tiny thread of hope for a miraculous Wakabronze, and I desperately want Karen in the team event (but I know it won't happen). I just want Alysa to have skates she's proud of (and also I want to fight her dad). Most likely to be discussing Wakaba, Wakaba being robbed, and how I miss Satoko. Also I will hate on Eteri, as is right.

Other skaters I like a lot: Ekaterina Kurakova, You Young, Yelim Kim, and more!

Men:

Nathan Chen

Yuzuru Hanyu

Yes, my two favorite male skaters are Nathan and Yuzu. We do exist. I will admit Nathan has become my number one, and I am rooting for him, because it's the one title he doesn't have, and because I will cry, maybe a lot. He has become the skater who I am most invested in, somewhere along the line. For Yuzu, I want him to walk away from the Olympics happy with what he did (which I'm sure will be a podium finish). He has already done everything and owes absolutely nothing to anyone. I just want him to enjoy himself, free of injury this time (I hope).

Full disclosure that although Yuzu is a fave, and in fact, he's the reason I got back into watching men's skating in the first place (I'd kind of dropped out of it before 2014ish), being a Nathan fan means that I have like a billion blogs and twitters that post about him blocked, so I do see less content of him thus might not share as much.

Other skaters I like a lot: Jason Brown, Yuma Kagiyama, Shoma Uno, Jin Boyang, Junwhan Cha, Donovan Carrillo, Adam Siao Him Fa, Mark Kondratiuk (yes I also stan the camp Jesus program), and more!

The pleasant thing about men's is that I really enjoy watching all of the medal contenders (except Bincent).

Pairs:

Wenjing Sui/Han Cong

Let me be clear; I would fight a dragon for them to win gold. If I have to see them lose to a less skilled pair of white people at the Olympics again, I will not be held responsible for my capslock posts on tumblr dot com and twitter dot com.

Other Pairs I like: Peng Cheng / Jin Yang, Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara, and Ashley Cain-Gribble / Timothy LeDuc.

I also wish Radford and James a very flop, because abuse apologists should absolutely be publicly humiliated at the Olympics.

Ice Dance:

Teams I like: Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier, Wang Shiyue / Liu Xinyu, Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron, Lilah Fear / Lewis Gibson, Kaitlin Hawayek / Jean-Luc Baker.

I just don't want Nikita to win because he is a trash abuser, and abusers should never prosper. I will even take Zach 'all lives matter' as silver medalist if it means VicNik lower on the podium or not on the podium at all. I will probably talk even more than I have already about how the JSF is clueless and loves self-sabotaging because they sent KoKo instead of KanaDai. Soran Bushi DESERVES an Olympic moment. I will talk about how I miss the Shibs.

[raininyourblackeyes]

Skate Canada short program rant because I missed three events, thank you time zones

MEN:

tbh I have seen only three programs: Keiji’s, Jason’s, and Nathan’s.

Keiji is a legend. How do you even decide to skate to Evangelion - legendary. Even if the jumps didn’t work out properly last night, this will probably end up being one of the most entertaining programs this season.

Jason’s Sinnerman is a separate piece of art and it belongs in a museum or something. The entire program is stunning and amazing and brilliant, not sure that I have a proper word to describe how good the performance was. (Love his coaching team’s reactions too!)

A cleanish Nemesis?! Ngl he should have either brought back the original Nemesis or got an entirely new sp because this “improved” version is a major regression comapred to 2017-18. When it comes to his jumps they seemed a bit “sticky” like he’d stop for a milisecond on the blade and then continue on, very little flow out of the jumps in other words. Also his PCS should not be 46 but 36, but at the bar is so low that I am happy he didn’t score higher than Jason. 

DANCE:

Lajoie/Lagha understood the assignment. That program was super fun!

Fear/Gibson also have a cool rd. Honestly, my fave thing about it are their costumes (especially Lilah’s). Shame about the twizzles.

Just like last week, Olivia and Adrian had my fave performance. However, this time it was really close call with Charlene and Marco’s program. 

Well, Piper and Paul certainly stood out... Not sure I dig this rd but it could just be the costumes. Certainly liked the second part much better. I hope it grows on me because I want to like it but for now I am neutral.

LADIES:

First of all, love to see Mai Mihara back in international competition. Second of all, glorious program. Honestly great job, I got chills.

Oh, Wakaba that was just so wonderful. Such a graceful program, she gives meaning to every single movement. I want her to podium so bad! She can do it. I am manifesting.

Go Kamila’s sp give us nothing. In Memoriam is just the copy, slightly watered down and adjusted, version of Storm. Her edge change in the combo will be my villain origin story. Who will inform the techincal panel that edge chenge between the jumps in combination actually means two separate jumps... Also where did the judges find her PCS (in RusFed’s or Eteri’s money idk). How is she over 10 points above Alysa? Where? (The tiniest problem but still worth mentioning - her ugly dress that looks like salmon meat).

Alysa grew so much as a skater since the last time I saw her skate in March 2020? (Junior Worlds). She brought so much energy to that performance and tbh she should be in the top 3. After the free skate tonight, I hope we somehow get her on the podium too, I don’t care which Russian we have to sacrifice (preferably the podium will be Wakaba, Alysa, and Alena but we all know this is a fruitless dream).

I like this new sp better for Alena, but it does feel like a new program. I don’t have many thoughts on it yet; generally, I do see potential. 

Karen is a breath of fresh air as always. Shame that the program wasn’t clean. Wishing her all the best later tonight.

[classicmollywood]

TCMFF  Home Edition Must Watch List

Hello friends!

I was supposed to be on a plane today to go to my first TCM Film Festival, but stuff happens and then you have a pandemic and everything gets canceled and you have to stay home! ANYWAYS, TCM decided to bring us some joy by playing programming for all of us, giving us the film festival, but at home. 

I have decided to list my must watch films for this Home Edition of the festival!

Thursday, April 16th

8 pm: A Star is Born (1954, George Cukor)

Starring Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, and Charles Bickford

On TCM’s website, this was listed as the inaugural film for the 2010 TCMFF. It’s also a film that is Judy Garland at her best. Garland lights up the screen as Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester. This film has fantastic musical numbers, beautiful colors, and is the best starting film for this festival.

11 PM: Metropolis (1927, Fritz Lang)

Starring Gustav Frohlich, Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, and Rudolf Klein-Rogge

If you have never seen a silent film or a German Expressionist film, watch this! Metropolis is the film that aged so well. A futuristic utopia from the lens of the 1920s is very interesting to watch and also some of the themes of this film can be translated to life today. I will say, the film can be described by some as “weird” but I wouldn’t let that stop you from watching it!

Friday, April 17th

2 PM: Eva Marie Saint Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2014)

Eva Marie Saint is one of my favorite classic film actresses. She has class, she has poise, and she is very talented. In 2014, TCM had a sit down with the actress to talk about herself and her films. This is such a treat to see!

3 PM: North by Northwest (1959, Alfred Hitchcock)

Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, and Martin Landau

Another case of mistaken identity and suspense! Hitchcock knew what he was doing when he hired Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint to “sex” up in the screen during the 1950s. Their chemistry is electric. The airplane scene is such an intense watch. And James Mason seems to be good at playing a suave bad guy.

5:45 PM: Some Like It Hot (1959, Billy Wilder)

Starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, Joe E. Brown, George Raft, and Pat O’Brien

Men witnessing a crime and then parading as women so they don’t get murdered! What a farce! Let’s be real, the best chemistry in the film is between Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. They play off each other so well. I will say, I do believe Marilyn Monroe was at her best in this film! Need a laugh, watch this!

1:30 AM: Grey Gardens (1975, Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, and Muffy Meyer)

Starring Edith “Big Edie” Ewing Bouvier Beale and Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale

This documentary is fascinating. It is fun but at times absolutely heartbreaking. Big Edie and Little Edie were definitely a fine pair. It is interesting watching the aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, because they aren’t living in luxury, which would be expected due to their relation. Big and Little Edie are characters that you have to see to believe. The irony is, they are real people and not acting roles. 

5 AM: Kim Novak: Live from the TCM Film Festival (2013)

Kim Novak is so much more than her looks and this interview opened my eyes to how amazing she is as a person as well as an actress. 

Saturday, April 18th (AKA MY BIRTHDAY)

6 AM: The Man with The Golden Arm (1955, Otto Preminger)

Starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, and Kim Novak

This is one of the grittiest films from the 1950s. It depicts a heroin addict during their ups and downs. I was honestly surprised this film got made at all during the Production Code Era, but am very glad it did. Sinatra is so raw in his performance and Eleanor Parker creates a complex character as his wife. Of course, Kim Novak is wonderful to watch because she is more than just beautiful, she is an actress. This film really showcases her talent. 

1:15 PM: Safety Last! (1923, Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor)

Starring Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, and Bill Strother

Zany antics a plenty! That’s the best description of this film. Harold Lloyd films are always great to watch because he wasn’t afraid to do crazy things to get a laugh. This film has the infamous clock scene too! 

2:45 PM: They Live By Night (1949, Nicholas Ray)

Starring Farley Granger, Cathy O’Donnell, and Howard Da Silva

If you only watch one movie on this list, THIS NEEDS TO BE THE ONE. It’s ironic that it airs on my birthday, because this is one of my favorite films. The story of doomed lovers who try their best to reform from a life of crime to survive wasn’t a new concept, but man, Farley Granger and Cathy O’Donnell make you fall in love with their characters and hope that they somehow, someway make it to their life of happiness together.

10 PM: The Magnificent Ambersons (1942, Orson Welles)

Starring Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, and Agnes Moorehead

This film is another case of a film that got cut down by the studio, and in case you were wondering, Orson Welles was pissed. I would hope and pray one day we all get to see the full version (kinda doubtful), but this film isn’t so bad. I think the all-star cast really makes it worth it! 

Sunday, April 19th

6 AM: Jezebel (1938, William Wyler)

Starring Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, and George Brent 

I am not gonna lie, my first viewing of this film enraged me. Henry Fonda’s character made me so mad because he was a jerk. But I have decided I need to rewatch this film and see if my attitudes have changed. This film did so many great things for Bette Davis and Henry Fonda, so we should all give it another (or first) go around. Also this was the film Jane Fonda was born during! Just a fun fact.

3:30 PM: Auntie Mame (1958, Morton DaCosta)

Starring Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne, Jan Handzlik, and Roger Smith

I want to be Auntie Mame. She is so much fun and so unique and I love it. The costumes are so grand in this film and Rosalind Russell really does a great job of bringing Mame to life. This film is so fun!!!

6 PM: Singin’ in the Rain (1952, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)

Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, and Jean Hagen

This is in my top 5 musicals. This musical always makes me smile and it is one of the few musicals where I know most of the words to the songs. The trio of Kelly, Reynolds, and O’Connor is something magical. Cosmo Brown is also one of my favorite characters in any film (and one of my cat’s namesakes). The film history alone with this film makes it worth watching! JUST WATCH THIS MUSICAL, OKAY?

9:45 PM: The Hustler (1961, Robert Rossen)

Starring Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, and George C. Scott

Paul Newman is so cool in general, so he was born for this role. I never knew a movie about pool would have my interest, but here we are. The tension between Newman and Jackie Gleason is so well played and the way the film is shot, you feel like you are in the room with them. Also Piper Laurie does a great performance as the conflicted girlfriend of Newman’s ambitious pool shark.

12:15 AM: Baby Face (1933, Alfred E. Green)

Starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, and Donald Cook

THIS IS PRECODE HEAVEN! You have a woman who uses sex to get ahead in life and men become entranced, and usually destroyed, by her. Barbara Stanwyck plays her character so well that you have a love-hate relationship with her. She can be cruel, but you understand why she is doing what she is doing. 

[procrastiskating]

My Top 10 Ice Dance Programs 2019-20 (Part II)

Part I Here.

I wrote my list in emojis because I can:

2019-2020 ⛸💃🔝🔟

10. 🇨🇦👩🏻‍🎤🧑🏽‍🎤

9. 🇬🇧📸✨

8. 🇨🇦🔫🤠💰❤️

7. 🇨🇦👑🎸⚡️

6. 🇨🇦🎊🚫🛑🎶

5. 🇨🇳🎩 🎩

4. 🇪🇸 ✋🕺⚡️

3. 🇺🇸🩸🌬

2. 🇬🇪🤸🏼‍♀️🤸🏻‍♂️

1. 🇨🇦⬅️➡️🕑

5. Wang Shiyue/Liu Xinyu “Chaplin” RD

I absolutely fell in love with this team this year, and it’s largely thanks to this program. It stands out from the other rhythm dances, and it shows off what characters these two are. It’s hilarious. Also, their lifts always defy gravity in any program!

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4. Olivia Smart/Adrian Diaz “Grease” RD

I mean, this was my favorite RD of the year. It was the PERFECT pick for these two, and Olivia (Newton) Smart’s commitment to the character just put it over the top. And actually putting the hand jive in the choreography? Yes. Just yes.

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3. Oona Brown/Gage Brown “Bloodstream and Air” FD

And now we reach the trio of “Free Dances that made my breath catch every time.” This choreography is absolutely stunning on these two. It shows off their skating skills and the fact that they have better extension than most teams twice their height. It’s a magical program, and I find myself wanting to go back and watch it again and again.

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2. Maria Kazakova/Georgy Reviya “In The End” FD

These absolute icons. A choreographic yeet to open the program? One handed cartwheels in the character step? Just because they can? Your faves could never. My favorite part, though, is when the music drops to that simple, haunting melody and they do their one foot step AT THE VERY END. I love this program so much and I can’t wait to see what these two do with their career.

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1. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier “Both Sides Now” FD

This program is art. I don’t know how they managed to follow up Vincent, but they did. Spectacularly. I cried the first time I saw this program, and so many other times throughout the season I forgot I was watching a competition (which never happens, because I’m usually a ball of nerves). Their skating is ethereal, and it interprets the music in a way that feels like a universal language. I can’t get enough of this program (and those deep red costumes!)

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[icedanceupstarts]

2019 Skate Canada Preview

While your hardworking mods are still vaguely traumatized and trying to figure out what scores are and how numbers work, time waits for no one, marching inexorably forward until death finally comes for us all. It’s going to be an exciting weekend of further rivalries as well as a hotly anticipated senior debut, so be sure to check it out.

Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier CAN

Age: 27/27

Started Skating Together: 2011

Coach: Carol Lane

Season's Best: 202.49

Rhythm Dance: Mack and Mabel

Free Dance: Both Sides Now

Gilles/Poirier have always been one of the most creative and innovative teams to watch, but they always seem to be almost there, forever on the edge of a breakthrough but never quite making it. Once again they've come up with original, intricate programs that strike a chord with the fandom, and unique, innovative elements to go along with it. They're always pushing boundaries both artistically and technically, and it's often led to them either struggling to deliver good performances in the first half of the season or stumbling at a crucial moment to move up or both. Hopefully this is the season they can finally break through and make it to the world podium. Their rhythm dance is super fun and they keep the energy going throughout despite the complexity. It’s the exact mix of kookiness and difficult content you’d expect from this team in a Broadway season. Their free dance has already been a bit polarizing, some already loving it while others see it as a lesser version of their Vincent FD last season, a good reminder there are a lot of people out there and every program can’t be for everyone. Regardless, they've scored very well with it, and if they can skate both programs to their best, there's some much objective good that the judges won't hesitate to throw points at them. They've had a lot of time to work out the kinks, and they've got a great opportunity to possibly win this event and finally get the break out season they've been waiting for.

Marjorie Lajoie/ Zachary Lagha CAN

Age: 18/20

Started Skating Together: 2010

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer

Season's Best: 173.69

Rhythm Dance: West Side Story

Free Dance: Bohemian Rhapsody

The reigning Junior world champions are making their senior grand prix debut here in front of the home crowd. They're a very dynamic team, small and agile, with a lot of energy and athleticism. Lajoie/Lagha have chosen to highlight their youthful energy and strong performance quality in their move to seniors rather than trying to present a forcefully mature image and it works pretty well for them. They're clearly a senior level team-- young seniors, but more than ready for the transition. We've always wanted someone to choose only the upbeat tracks from West Side Story. It can be hard to keep that energy up through the whole program but Lajoie/Lagha make it look like a breeze. Their free dance is a great vehicle for Zachary in particular. Marjorie is such a big performer that she can pull focus but he's really the focus of this particular program and clearly enjoying himself the entire way through. Their elements feel smooth and secure, and there are playful touches like his plank in the choreo steps that just make this program really fun. If they keep cleaning up their tech and improving their presentation they can have a really solid grand prix debut here at home.

Haley Sales/ Nikolas Wamsteeker CAN

Age: 22/23

Started Skating Together: 2014

Coach: Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe

Season's Best: 157.59

Rhythm Dance: Mamma Mia!

Free Dance: Samson and Delilah

Happy Birthday Nikolas! And what better birthday present than to get to perform in front of the home crowd? Sales/Wamsteeker made their GP debut last season, where they placed #notlast, and went on to place a surprising fourth at Nationals, and they're trying to follow up and have another good season this year. Their rhythm dance is pretty cute and playful, with an incredible rotational lift to end. Their free dance contrasts with an intense, dramatic character driven program that we don't see as much of these days, and it's just extremely nice to watch. You can tell these two have been working hard over the off-season-- while they've always been on the taller side, it's more noticeable this season, they're using their long lines better and skating with more amplitude. They've got little to lose at this competition and if they skate like that, they might surprise people with how well they score.

Lilah Fear/ Lewis GIBSON GBR

Age: 20/25

Started Skating Together: 2016

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer

Season's Best: 188.25

Rhythm Dance: Blues Brothers

Free Dance: Vogue

Discobrits! Or Voguebrits now, I guess, doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Audience friendly fan favorites back to wow us all once more with their fun, unique programs and approach to skating. Their edges aren't the deepest, but they have a light, breezy quality to their skating, and their performances are always geared to make sure we're having almost as much fun as they are. Their rhythm dance is super cute and bubbly the way a Finnstep should be, with nice little touches like the hop out of their twizzles or him sliding between her legs. But the real winner this season for them is their Madonna free dance, featuring great elements and choreography, and combined in some great ways like their choreographic lift near the end, as well as one of the best uses of the choreographic step sequences this season. Both last year and this year they've really made the most of that element and shown why it's a good addition to ice dance. The judges have seen fit to reward them for their commitment to being The Most Fun as well as their generally crisp execution of their elements. They've always been good at racking up enormous points in GOE, particularly on the choreographic elements as anyone who remembers us shrieking about five point knee slides last season will recall. They're a team that has really made the most of the rule changes this quad, and if they continue to improve their skating skills to match their performance quality, they're going to be a tough team to beat, and you'll see that here if they skate their best.

Sofia Evdokimova/ Egor Bazin RUS

Age: 22/24

Started Skating Together: 2007

Coach: Oleg Sudakov, Valentin Kuziaev, Artem Kudashev

Season's Best: 164.62

Rhythm Dance: 42nd Street

Free Dance: Schindler's List

Team Perseverance are bringing another solid set of programs and a badass cantilever lift to a screen near you! We talked a bit last season how, with one of the longest partnerships in the current field, Evdokimova/Bazin embody the work ethic and grit needed to succeed in this sport, having patiently and steadily clawed their way past several teams with both more funding and hype. Last season brought their first senior national medal and first trip to a senior championship event, and this season is not only their first time getting Grand Prix assignments without relying on a host pick, it’s also their first time getting two events. They're a tall, reliable team with a security in their elements that just makes them comfortable to watch. Their rhythm dance is a significantly more conventional take on the theme than last season’s tango but 42nd Street and the quickstep style fit them extremely well. We're not generally big on Schindler's List programs but theirs is fairly well done. The Russian national battle for bronze is going to be tough with likely several teams in contention depending on how the next two months shape up. But it’s not over as long as you don’t quit, as Evdokimova/Bazin have continued to prove.

Betina Popova/ Sergey Mozgov RUS

Age: 22/24

Started Skating Together: 2016

Coach: Anjelika Krylova

Season's Best: 175.24

Rhythm Dance: Cabaret

Free Dance: Bohemian Rhapsody

Two Bohemian Rhapsody FDs in one competition, because why not? Not that you’ll have even the slightest chance of confusing the two. These uber dramatic weirdos can be a bit of an acquired taste, but they always go above and beyond, and you've got to admire their commitment. They have a tendency to be a little sloppy technically, but they're working on cleaning up their skills, and it's really the performance of these two that draws in the audience. Their elements, particularly their lifts are creative and daring, and they're always trying something new. Artistically they're in your face and unapologetic about it. While there are a number of great Cabaret rhythm dances this season, this is the One True Cabaret in our minds. From the costumes to choreography to performance, they're just all in, and have so clearly done their homework. Their free dance has some of, if not THE most spectacular lifts of the season, and again, a level of commitment that is near unparalleled. Unfortunately, where they're lagging behind in scores right now are the GOEs, particularly in the free dance. Their elements are creative and exciting, but so far they've been struggling with the execution and it's dragging down their scores. Part of that's the early season, part of it is that they often get so into performing they slip off their edges and lose focus in their elements. If they can deliver their normal Diva performance without losing control of their tech, they can make it to the top 5 at least, if not higher.

Sara Hurtado/ Kirill Khaliavin ESP

Age: 26/28

Started Skating Together: 2016

Coach: Alexander Zhulin

Season's Best: 193.47

Rhythm Dance: Hello Dolly

Free Dance: "Oroboy" and "Puerta del Sol"

Coming off a successful season where they regained their National title and claimed the coveted spot at worlds, Hurtado/Khaliavin are aiming to cement their spot as the top Spanish team and make a push up the ranks internationally as well. They're a really great team with stylish programs and interesting choreography and elements, even if their twizzles sometimes give them trouble. They’ve already competed twice this season though customs issues have kept them from getting to debut their new costumes and we’ve seen the return of an old short dance dress and a very minimalistic look for their flamenco. Maybe this week?? The rhythm dance is lighter than their usual fare and a great opportunity for them to show some fun personality on the ice. Their free dance is tense, dark, and dramatic, and they really bring out all the subtleties and nuances in the music, and this is a great contrast to their Don Quixote free dance from the Olympic season. The Spanish ice dance battle for one Worlds spot remains as gridlocked as ever in this early part of the season, with both teams seeing increases in their scoring potential compared with last season. Smart/Diaz finished just off the podium at Skate America last weekend and it’s definitely possible for Hurtado/Khaliavin to do at least that well this week in Canada.

Caroline Green/ Michael Parsons USA

Age: 16/24

Started Skating Together: 2019

Coach: Elena Novak and Alexei Kiliakov

Season's Best: 173.03

Rhythm Dance: Cry Baby

Free Dance: Woodkid Medley

After a solid grand prix debut last week, they're back for their second assignment to continue proving the advantage of years of matching technique when forming a new dance team. They not only finished a very respectable seventh in their GP debut as a team, and Caroline’s senior GP debut, they held their own against teams with much more competitive experience together. They still have plenty of room to improve but their partnering is great and their matching strokes and flow across the ice are already great assets, particularly evident in the free dance. Green/Parsons will be finishing up their debut Grand Prix season early and then heading to another challenger event before US Nationals, which is shaping up to be quite an interesting dance event.

Kaitlin Hawayek/ Jean-Luc Baker USA

Age: 22/25 

Started Skating Together: 2012

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer

Season's Best: 192.47

Rhythm Dance: Saturday Night Fever

Free Dance: Beethoven's 5th Symphony

In their sixth senior season, Hawayek/Baker are clearly looking to make a major push up the ranks, domestically and internationally. Their programs this season were clearly designed to stand out, not only from the rest of the field, but from what they've done in the past, and force the judges and audience to look at them with fresh eyes. They're such mature, experienced performers with nuances and details in their skating that few teams can match, domestically or abroad. This season they've really taken advantage of this in a more extroverted way than usual. They've ditched the more subtle, classic, lyrical style for something much more in your face, and for both programs. We always encourage more disco programs, and their rhythm dance has a lot of energy in the beginning and end and if they can keep the performance level up during the slower middle it'll really be a program to remember. Their free dance is kind of a wacky take on flamenco, where she's Marie Antoinette and there's a whole storyline happening that we don't really understand but also don't really need to? It's clear that they really believe in their material and the direction they're moving in and we're interested to see where they go from here. It's going to be pretty tough for them to make GPF again this season, although never say never. Collecting another GP medal however is definitely within their capabilities, and will allow them to reestablish themselves as a team that's going up.

Madison Hubbell/ Zachary Donohue USA

Age: 28/28

Started Skating Together: 2011

Coach: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer

Season's Best: 209.55

Rhythm Dance: My Heart Belongs to WHAT now??

Free Dance: A Star is Born

Like last year, they're finishing up their grand prix season early and they head into their second event with one Grand Prix gold, though they didn’t take the win in the free dance at Skate America. While their rhythm dance may have had us wishing there was an automatic deduction for every time your program mentions “daddy”, this lighter style is a nice departure from what we’ve seen from Hubbell/Donohue in recent seasons. We’ve got some mixed feelings about their free dance at this point, and with no real time between events to make changes based on judges’ feedback their main objectives will be consistency and getting more mileage on both programs with the goal of being the first team to reserve their spot in the GPF.

[shipwreckseemssweet]

Figure skating: GP series 2018 Favourites

For a post-Olympic season, I have to say many figure skaters are looking really sharp. Not only is Yuzuru wildin'- new ground is being broken in Ladies'. In all disciplines, new and old rivals are stepping up to become contenders in the new quadrennial. It's great to see „older“ skaters not throwing in the towel, but still forging forward. (Vanessa and Morgan just won their first GPF. Dai is back at 32 – he burnt his suits and bleached his hair). We're so privileged to still have Yuzuru around; despite his injury he's the class of the field. Underlying this push for excellence is the revamped IJS scoring. Emphasizes quality over quantity, the system now aims to widen the creative aspects of FS, sanction errors more harshly and reward more complete skaters (at least in theory *shade*).

Below is my proudly biased list of some standout programs/performances from this season’s first half, mainly GP events. Also, ISU rights holders are looking to delete all YT FS fan channels and kill the sport once and for all. Fingers crossed the links are still working.

ICE DANCE (For the record: I miss GOATs Virtue/Moire tremendously.)

1. Tango Romantica Rhythm Dance

Victoria Sinitsina / Nikita Katsalapov „Verano Porteño“ by Astor Piazzolla

Perhaps the best RD this season. Beautiful composition and choreography: suits the skater's satiny skating skills and the sharp, sensual movements I expect from a tango.

Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri „Miedo a la Liberdad“ by Tanghetto

Their technique is like clockwork, smooth and precise; impressive body lines. A true classy tango. With an extra infusion of emotion, their GPF performance really shone. In fact, I could easily make a case for them winning the event outright. :-/

Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier „Angelica's Tango“ by Piernicola Di Muro

I just love how different, creative and straightforward these two are. Does Paul grow his mustache for the RD only to shave it off for the Free? :)

Special mention: Alex Stepanova / Ivan Bukin „Malagueña“ by Blast and “Carmen“ by Edith Piaf

Very modern and sizzling. (Sasha's dress is art.) The dance gives off a dramatic Paso Doble feel which then transitions into a Tango. This version still had their signature sit twizzles in it. *cries*

Shiyue Wang / Xinyu Liu „Pirates of the Caribbean“ OST by Hans Zimmer

Unorthodox, but fun and original. Their lifts are stunningly acrobatic. Great edges, too. (This is from Autumn Classic where they hit almost all pattern levels.)

2. Free Dance

Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier „Starry Starry Night“ original composition by Govardo

One of their best Dances. A story of the pain and struggle of Vincent Van Gogh and the starry night he famously drew. Poignant and full of beautiful, creative details.

Alex Stepanova / Ivan Bukin „Am I the One“ by Beth Hart

Hands down their best program. I love how they wear this rock and modern look. Even if they keep losing levels, their technical improvements finally feel merged with better projection and connection between them. Every second of it is exciting, sexy and hot.

Lilah Fear / Lewis Gibson „Bad Girls“ and „On the Radio“ by Donna Summer

Welcome to the disco! An unexpected favorite from the Brits. Their lifts pop out with the music and the sliding choreography is badass. (How refreshing to have a Gadbois team without MFL!)

Special mention: Avonley Nguyen / Vadim Kolesnik „Demons“ by Imagine Dragons & „Experience“ by Einaudi

A shout-out to this wonderful Junior pair. I'm blown away by their musicality and unapologetic emotional performances. Moreover, they already have superb skating skills and speed. The future of ID looks good.

SINGLES (What is consistent judging?)

3. Ladies Short Program

Satoko Miyahara “Song for the Little Sparrow“ by Abel Korneziowski 

When you look up „elegance“, „musicality“ or „sophistication“ in the dictionary, you find there Satoko. Best skating skills and interpretation of the whole field, in the service of Edith Piaf.

Rika Kihira “Claire de Lune“ by Debussy

We waited a long time for her to skate it clean, but when she finally did, it was magical. The choreo is not exactly pioneering, but Rika's lightness and elegance give it a youthful, ethereal beauty that lights up the ice. Love how unexpected her versatility is. The effortless triple Axel is the cherry on top.

Alyona Kosternaya „Departure“ by Max Richter

The Superior Junior Lady. Alyona has the ability to interpret the music with her skating, body and eyes. A masterclass in how to hold positions and use arms. I don't like her programs this year. Still, she remains enchanting to watch.

Special mention: Yuna Shiraiwa „All Aboard“ by Club des Belugas

Quirky, dynamic and full of interesting details.

4. Ladies Free Skate

Kaori Sakamoto „The Piano“ OST by Michael Nyman

I love how it sneaks up on you. Kaori struck gold when she teamed up with young choreographer Benoit. He understands her gifts very well: this program gently accentuates her feather-light jumps and flow. The story follows a mute woman in a remote beach town trying to get back her piano, losing a finger along the way (eeks) and nearly drowning before resurfacing: it suits Kaori's quirky personality.

Satoko Miyahara “Invierno Porteño“ by Astor Piazzolla

Satoko and Tango are a dream team. She doesn't just skate to the music, she lives with it. It's nice to see she attempting to retool her jumping technique, which is no small feat.

Rika Kihira „Beautiful Storm“ by Jennifer Thomas

This disruptive masterpiece is hopefully just a first breath of what is to come from Rika. Her unique bland of dramatic and soft movements conveys a dramatic and awesome storm. It's as if the electrons are passing from the sky through her body in a beautiful interpretation. Her last jump is against silence. And then the thunder strikes... She is already such a well-rounded and charismatic skate. :)

5.  Yuzuru Hanyu Short Program „Otoñal“ by Raul Di Blasio

Unfortunately I haven't been watching Men much, except for Yuzuru. I also ”discovered” Kevin Aymoz, a very creative and talented French skater, along the way.

In his short, Yuzu opted for the theme of Autumn as a nostalgic period for reflection and that shows throughout the performance, from the technical elements (his 4S is a tribute to Javi *tears up*) to the details in the choreo, to how he picks up every note. Everything is so genuine and purposeful.

Special mention: Deniss Vasiljevs SP „Papa Was a Rollin' Stone“ by Norman Whitfield

Those yellow pants are quite a choice. ;)

[sunskate]

FD-

with nearly half the teams cut after the RD, the FD was all teams who had Grand Prix assignments (except S/F who weren't yet eligible 🇨🇦→🇮🇪)

PiriHara's Chicago program was a surprise - it hadn't made much of an impression over a stream, but what do you know, Broadway is better live 😅

Olivia and Tim - they never did work out the timing glitches in this program. at least he made it to the end without struggling so much condition-wise like he did at Challenge Cup a few weeks ago. catching up to her in one season was a tall order. i really love how languid and easy she can make it look while covering big ice. send him to IAMO for the summer. it's no consolation to them, but going below both sibling teams allowed the Czech Republic to keep 2 spots for next Worlds

Taschlers were low balled - in no reality should they be below Davis/Smolkin

the swan lakes - D/S in this context, skating against strong teams, look so very small, shallow and with not much ice coverage. it doesn't help that they picked huge music that normally would be danced by an entire stage full of swans. plus their music cut had a couple awful jarring edits - the audacity to slug in extra notes in Tchaikovsky 💀 i might be the only one so bothered lol

the Mrazeks by comparison looked smoother and faster and smarter in that they picked some of the gentler swan lake music including the waltz. for a first year senior team, they can be proud. another first year team who's been even more stellar is Hannah and Ye -

omg they were so good - they're able to be so emotional without feeling over the top. just expressive and connected to each other. lovely ❤️

i like Demougeot/LeMercier - i'm going to look forward to see what they do next. i hope they keep being quirky

really happy to see T/V and R/A live - T/V are willowy and ethereal, and her ballet background shows. but i don't think they get down into the ice. i like this FD a lot, but the interest in it is in those arm movements and elements more so than the skating. R/A i liked the RD a little more than the FD but like them very much

CPom are raising their game all the time - so happy for them and their well earned rise. what i love is that not only do you see them becoming better skaters and performers, but you can see they believe - their confidence in themselves is at a completely different place than it was 2 years ago

omg, live i didn't see just how long Charlene's skirt was caught on her blade at the end. idk if Barbara in the kiss and cry was holding her breath to see if the judges used the little mistakes to put F/G ahead. thank god they didn't, because G/F still have such a higher quality

and Piper and Paul - this program uses the glide and sweep of the music to emphasize that in the skating in a beautiful way. a skated program is so much more satisfying than an element-fest like C/B's. as impressive as their elements and performances can be, i don't know if i've ever been moved by a program of theirs

my favorite of the entire event - LaLa - i was crying by the gorgeous OFt. they alone would have been worth the trip. but gratitude to all the skaters and their coaches - my cup's full. i'm still processing

[simplyforeverwanderlust]

Skate Canada

It’s been a really long time since I’ve been able to write about my thoughts on FS on tumblr. I’m really thankful that I was actually able to watch a competition live this time. Unfortunately (or fortunately because I’m freaking OUT), I won’t be able to tune into GP Helsinki to watch my favorite, Mikhail.

Ladies:

If you say a bad word about Evgenia Medvedeva, I will probably fight you. I’m just really defensive about a girl who left everything she ever knew to move across the world in dedication to improve her skating. She’s still a work in progress, but I’m surprised by how much she already improved - axel technique, height on the sal, projection, among others. I’d like to see more transitions in her free skate and some work on spins in the future. I’m very much invested in her progress and am SO PROUD that she was able to do what she was able to do - land 7th in the short program and win the free. Maybe people are crying about the loss of her PCS bonus and harsh calls, but I can confidently say that she’s going to continue to improve this season. 

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. Return of the empress. Although her skating wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea back in the days of World Champion dominance, you have to admire her grit and determination in order to prevail and make herself known to Russian figure skating, a big “hey guys, don’t forget about me!”. I got pretty emotional seeing her on the top step of the podium. We haven’t seen that in a long time. Plus, the 3A! She’s also such a bright personality on Twitter, reminding me of Adam and Ashley’s sass. 

Mariah Bell. Yes, she ended up off the podium with a potato. BUT in the absence of Karen Chen, she is DEFINITELY the best American lady we have right now. I implore everyone to watch her SP and FS performances and see how much she improved. She’s always had musicality and performance ability, but I see it SHINE so much this season. Please support her everyone!!

Mako Yamashita, guys, what a big GP senior debut!!! AND she almost won Skate Canada. I’m so impressed by her consistency and nerves of steel at this competition. Normally I fear for everyone skating last. I’m upset for Wakaba Higuchi for not being able to perform as well in the free, but she fought so hard. I hope she rests up and heals her foot and be able to come back with a force in the second half of the season.

Men’s:

Beautiful podium, it’s what I actually expected and predicted! As much as I love Shoma Uno, I would like to see some improvements in the choreography of his free skate. I am always in awe of Keegan Messing’s performance ability and projection, but I would LOVE to see him move away from his typical style and branch out. Also, what skating skills! Pchiddy’s impact. A major s/o to Junhwan Cha for not only getting his first GP medal, BUT FOR GETTING KOREA’S FIRST GP MEDAL IN 9 YEARS. The last GP medal was from Yuna. So excited for him, Korea, and his team. He’s continued on an upward trajectory to rise this season.

What’s not fair is that he has back to back GPs this season, and HELSINKI out of all places.

Pairs:

James/Cipres, wow. It was a magnificent free skate and it’s absolutely the greatest vehicle. I’m happy for them that they got the WR! Though, Morgan needs to tone down the excitement at the end to prevent them from getting a deduction, lol. I’m very impressed with Boikova/Kozlovskii. I think this is their senior debut as well. I definitely think they have potential in being a force to be reckoned with in the next coming years. Also good for Moore-Towers/Marinaro for being able to land on the podium at home. 

Dance:

This discipline has been the most confusing to me lately this season due to all the changes in the rulebook, along with score distribution. I’m afraid my attention to ice dance has decreased with this season as well. It may or may not be the due to the absence of Virtue/Moir and the Shibs this season. Hubbell/Donohue were the clear winners here, although I would’ve loved to see Gilles/Poirier win the free skate with their beautiful performance (that made me shed many tears). I’m actually surprised to see Sinitsina/Katsalapov win the free skate here, because it’s never happened before. In regards to ‘who’s making the GPF?’, I predicted that S/K and G/P would make it together, but now it’s coming down to S/K vs G/P for a spot since Piper and Paul lost to S/K here.

_______________________________

GP HELL-SINKI IS NEXT!

[the-poutine-routine]

Piper and Paul’s vincent free dance

throw the whole thing in the trash / dislike it / neutral / like it (in general) / love it (compared to a lot of their other programs) / i have decided to stan forever

Hi again Konner :)

SooooooooooooOOOoo before we start, I want to say two things about costuming and hair… That two hair tie pony tail thing Piper always does? I just can’t get behind that, that was a thing people would wear to school when I was maybe 9 and it wasn’t cute then either! I mean yes she pulls it off really really really well, but I’m just not a huge fan. Second, the dress I love it excepppptttt that weird neck ruffle. Like the skirt is unique and gorgeous and I know it’s supposed to emulate van Gogh’s artwork which is an incredibly creative idea, but I just don’t know if it creates the nicest look as a piece of clothing.

I guess this is an ok-ish transition (I’d give it about 7.09 in TES) into the actual skating part. In general, don’t dislike Piper and Paul. They always come up with fun and creative programs and aren’t afraid to add a bit of humor and even a bit of tackiness (which sometimes works really well!) into their skating. That being said, my main problem with them boils down to lines. In this program especially they have a lot of really cool elements and transitions that, as far as I know, have never been done before, but they are almost so out there that there really isn’t a way to make them super graceful / flow with the music. 

Take for example the hand stand bit at the beginning, it’s a really interesting idea that takes a lot of physical strength from both Piper and Paul, but there really isn’t anyway that Piper can reach down and grab Paul’s skates without first sticking her butt straight up in the air. It’s sort of the same deal for their bent-knee twizzles (although these are growing on me, and hopefully once they get more practice, they will be a bit more aesthetically pleasing). 

As a whole, I really like the program mainly because it’s different without being too, for lack of a better word, …zany(? yeah, I don’t know either). I really like the idea of skating to something more acoustic and stripped down. Besides the aforementioned weirdness of lines, this actually lends itself to Piper and Paul’s skating really well mainly because the run of their blades on the ice is actually remarkably smooth (although I wish they’d have neater feet!), which creates an overall sense of calm and quiet when you watch them. And again, I don’t dislike their creativity when it comes to lifts (among other things) because it does result in a very refreshing program. 

I guess if I had to choose one critique about the program choice it would be that I wish they didn’t choreograph so much that the program screams “We’re skating to Vincent van Gogh music!” As much as this was a big point of contention when it came to comparing vm and pc, I almost think Piper and Paul could do with being a wee bit more secretive about their storytelling. Obviously they can’t cut words out of their chosen music, but with the dress, the pantomime, etc. I almost wish they’d let they skating do a bit more of the storytelling. 

xoxo gossip girl

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COLLISON

Most books are bad. And board votes are rarely split. It's easier to catch yourself doing something you shouldn't than always to remember to do something audacious. It's hard to trick professors into letting you solve them. By putting you in this situation, society has fouled you.1 Working for yourself doesn't have to be good. So why not make work more like home? Is there some kind of irresponsible pied piper, leading impressionable young hackers down the road to ruin.

The first time it raised money, it was neither a success nor a failure; it was too early to ask. The alternative approach might be called the Hail Mary strategy. Hackers just want power. Our angels asked for one, and if you sell online you'd be stupid to use anyone else's software. When you negotiate terms with a startup, so why bother? You never have to end the day with something that actually looks unfinished. The average MIT graduate wants to work with existing programs, and this is easier for them to swallow. I'm so determined that I can't imagine what's going on. How do you figure out what direction to grow in. No one trusts an idea till you embody it in a way that doesn't suck. The good news is, there's also a good chance the person at the next sufficiently big funding round.

One thing you learn when you get rich is that a lot of meetings; don't have a cofounder, what should you do? He knew you were saving that piece of cake in the fridge, and you are very happy because your $50,000 into a company, and that in the past has had false starts branching off all over it. It's possible you could meet a cofounder through something like a user's group or a conference.2 It would be hard to get into college are not a very discerning audience. Most parents don't mind this; it's part of the market anyway. Launching too slowly has probably killed a hundred times more startups than there are, and are often mistaken about what they plan to do. We thought so when we started ours, and we didn't need any help with those. When you raise a lot of valuable lessons about the software business. By historical standards, that's something that's changing pretty rapidly.

And the startups where they have to. If you actually want to compress the gap between rich and poor, you have to be empirical. I put it there is that I don't want four years of my life to be consumed by random schleps. Paul Buchheit, Brian Chesky, Bill Clerico, Patrick Collison, Adam Goldstein, James Lindenbaum, Jessica Livingston, Greg Mcadoo, Aydin Senkut, and Fred Wilson for reading drafts of this. We could bear any amount of nerdiness if someone was truly smart. No one has to lose for you to win. Our angels asked for one, and if you get funded by Y Combinator.

The malaise you feel is the same no matter what you do. What we couldn't stand were people with a passion for service. Even now there is too much money is not as common as it used to be. Every couple weeks I would take a few hours off to visit a used bookshop or go to a friend's house for dinner. And that's not the way to learn how to program that prevents hackers from understanding users, or about not knowing how to program computers, or what life was really like in preindustrial societies, or how to program. There's no concept of office hours in most startups. And when I was eight, I was afraid of it too. So how do you get into a good one? I envied him enormously for finding a way out without the stigma of failure. When a friend of mine who knows a lot about specific, cool problems. But after the talking is done, the decision about what to do.3

Notes

They may not have to factor out some knowledge. Even the cheap kinds of companies that grow slowly and never sell i. I was living in cities. But it will become less common for startups that seem to like uncapped notes, VCs who can predict instead of uebfgbsb.

But it is to ignore investors and instead focus on growth instead of profits—but only because like an in-house VC fund. Or it may be common in, you'll have to mean the company. Selina Tobaccowala stopped to say no for introductions to other investors doing so much from day to day indeed, from hour to hour that the highest returns, like storytellers, must have affected what they campaign for.

But filtering out 95% of spam, for example, the assembly line, the rest of the biggest successes there is a rock imitating a butterfly that happened to get all the mistakes you made. Many will consent to b rather than by the PR firm admittedly the best ways to help SCO sue them. Look at what Steve Jobs did for Apple when he came back as CEO. A startup building a new database will probably not do this are companies smart enough not to foo but to establish a silicon valley.

[macaroni-rascal]

I think Gilles and Poirier have the best overall material this season

Although piper’s expression can be a bit OOO at times, I enjoy watching them still. Their packaging is phenomenal this season and I’m able to get past my dislike of evita music because they have a lot of lovely moments. And the RD is very them.

I’m rooting for them to beat CB and GF at worlds. If not them, then reluctantly I’d say the Italians. I really am not a fan of theirs but they deserve the recognition. They’ve worked for it and CB aren’t giving much reason to put them first. They’re the least trained with the most lackluster material in the top ~10 dance teams

Also; I highly recommend the British version of Love island. But only the first couple seasons.

Last; do you like kaori’s elastic heart program??? Do you think she and Marie France got haircuts together??

I think of the top 3 couples (Gilles and Poirer, Guignard and Fabbri, and Chock and Bates) G/P do have the best set of programs. I like their RD more than the free dance, Paul is living his best gay life which mean I am living my best gay life.

Personally, I would love either Gilles and Poirier to get gold, or Guignard and Fabbri, as long as it's not Chock and Bates, C/B have the worst programs and the worst skating skills. I would like them to get bronze, and take the hint and retire already. Actually, my dream is that Hawayek and Baker get bronze, and C/B get fourth, that would be just spectacular.

Oh boy, I'm not sure my brain and soul can handle much for heterosexual reality TV nonsense, I'm barely hanging on as it is.

I love that elastic heart program! I think it suits Kaori perfectly, I think it's allowing her to grow and evolve as a skater and as a performer. She is moving better, extending better, posture is better, it's all wonderful to see. The idea of Kaori and MF side by side getting their bobs freshened is a wonderful one, can't lie, haha!