![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Figure Skating
Jan. 30th, 2011 05:56 pmWomen's - You know, if you're going to skate your last ever competition, having it be the European championships on home ice and then winning, despite everything that takes some beating.
Winning performance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqh_eb2IpPQ&feature=related
~~~~
Men's - From his starting position for the free, I take it Joubert screwed up, again.
There is a Russian with two quads in his long programme. I must see it (note to self, his name is Menshov). Don't look at me in that tone of voice, I can't help it, I have quadraphilia ;)
Edit : Having seen the programme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2ryOSLb8yo), it's not artistically brilliant, but I approve of the quads. And the axel. And the finish.
Joubert's long programme was fun, especially the ending. He conducted the invisible orchestra, and somehow didn't get drowned out by the Ode to Joy, which takes doing.
Javier Fernandez's outfit is lovely, as is his quad toe-loop. He's not going to win, but if anyone actually has a better routine, I'll be damned. He had a step sequence, which everyone else is sorely lacking. And artistic merit above and beyond arm waving.
Routine is here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrbzd488Nhc
:D I think I have just found someone new to cheer for. Javier Fernandez is love.
The theme seems to be Hans Zimmer. Which is fine by me.
Less successfully than Javier Fernandez, but I'll grant Peter Liebers tried to do it as well (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f08Yd3--FjA).
One of the coaches has one heck of a moustache.
I am confirming terrible things about me tonight, like I'd rather have all tech merit and Plushenko levels of artistic merit than all artistic merit. Get your quads out for the lads, as it were. And your step sequences. I'd probably rather have step sequences than quads. I am aware I am everything that is wrong with figure skating.
Michael Jackson is one of the other themes, although at least Florent Amodio has found lovely orchestrated versions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqLD6f0t5aA
Poor Michal Brezina. He had, what I believe is technically called a 'mare.
Apparently Alexei Mischin has a factory of spotty blond Russian jumpers who dance idiosyncratically, Artur Gachinski is the most recent one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s46msMOljr4 Someone may need to remind me that we have been down this road before and it lead to nothing but misery and nerves. I think I just have a fondness for Mischin's style.
Kevin van der Perrin is not only good at jumping, but also a good sport.
The judges are fiends.
More Michael Jackson. I fear that there will be yet more in the Worlds. If the rest of the world is dancing to Jacko with anything like the same frequency then ~ 2/5ths of them will be Jacko-related.
~~~~
As a brief pretence that my life consists of more than sport, I bring more of the film meme:
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
I like comedy films, I just have issues with a lot of modern comedy. Most of the time the comedy of embarrassment does not do it for me. It can do, for instance Fawlty Towers is hilarious, but that's because the characters are designed to let you enjoy that. Basil is a pompous git who mis-treats his servants, is rude to his customers and is (possibly understandably) mean to his wife. When things go badly for him, it's not so bad.
American Pie, for instance, is not so bad, because the various ups and downs (apologies for any accidental innuendo) are done with an affection for the characters.
Therefore a lot of my favourite comedies are old. And when I say old, I mean, made before I was born.
Clue - which features a stand-out performance by Tim Curry, which is entirely responsible for my ability to rabbit on for ten minutes without an obvious pause for breath.
The Producers - proper version, which means Zero Mostel. And Gene Wilder. And Liebkind.
Blazing Saddles - it's the brilliant mixture of satire and slapstick.
Any version of His Girl Friday/The Front Page.
Several of the Carry On films. Some of them are very bad, but some of them are very good indeed, and given that comedy, like horror, frequently relies on surprise, they stand up well to repeat viewings.
The Plank - 15 minutes of slapstick genius.
The Ghost of St. Michael's - Which is getting a link because I feel a black and white comedy/thriller/horror/farce made in 1941 needs the publicity. It is deeply, gloriously and ridiculously funny http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_of_St._Michael%27s
I'd include The General and Modern Times etc, but I tend to find them more adorable than funny.
( The Other Days )
Winning performance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqh_eb2IpPQ&feature=related
~~~~
Men's - From his starting position for the free, I take it Joubert screwed up, again.
There is a Russian with two quads in his long programme. I must see it (note to self, his name is Menshov). Don't look at me in that tone of voice, I can't help it, I have quadraphilia ;)
Edit : Having seen the programme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2ryOSLb8yo), it's not artistically brilliant, but I approve of the quads. And the axel. And the finish.
Joubert's long programme was fun, especially the ending. He conducted the invisible orchestra, and somehow didn't get drowned out by the Ode to Joy, which takes doing.
Javier Fernandez's outfit is lovely, as is his quad toe-loop. He's not going to win, but if anyone actually has a better routine, I'll be damned. He had a step sequence, which everyone else is sorely lacking. And artistic merit above and beyond arm waving.
Routine is here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrbzd488Nhc
:D I think I have just found someone new to cheer for. Javier Fernandez is love.
The theme seems to be Hans Zimmer. Which is fine by me.
Less successfully than Javier Fernandez, but I'll grant Peter Liebers tried to do it as well (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f08Yd3--FjA).
One of the coaches has one heck of a moustache.
I am confirming terrible things about me tonight, like I'd rather have all tech merit and Plushenko levels of artistic merit than all artistic merit. Get your quads out for the lads, as it were. And your step sequences. I'd probably rather have step sequences than quads. I am aware I am everything that is wrong with figure skating.
Michael Jackson is one of the other themes, although at least Florent Amodio has found lovely orchestrated versions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqLD6f0t5aA
Poor Michal Brezina. He had, what I believe is technically called a 'mare.
Apparently Alexei Mischin has a factory of spotty blond Russian jumpers who dance idiosyncratically, Artur Gachinski is the most recent one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s46msMOljr4 Someone may need to remind me that we have been down this road before and it lead to nothing but misery and nerves. I think I just have a fondness for Mischin's style.
Kevin van der Perrin is not only good at jumping, but also a good sport.
The judges are fiends.
More Michael Jackson. I fear that there will be yet more in the Worlds. If the rest of the world is dancing to Jacko with anything like the same frequency then ~ 2/5ths of them will be Jacko-related.
~~~~
As a brief pretence that my life consists of more than sport, I bring more of the film meme:
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
I like comedy films, I just have issues with a lot of modern comedy. Most of the time the comedy of embarrassment does not do it for me. It can do, for instance Fawlty Towers is hilarious, but that's because the characters are designed to let you enjoy that. Basil is a pompous git who mis-treats his servants, is rude to his customers and is (possibly understandably) mean to his wife. When things go badly for him, it's not so bad.
American Pie, for instance, is not so bad, because the various ups and downs (apologies for any accidental innuendo) are done with an affection for the characters.
Therefore a lot of my favourite comedies are old. And when I say old, I mean, made before I was born.
Clue - which features a stand-out performance by Tim Curry, which is entirely responsible for my ability to rabbit on for ten minutes without an obvious pause for breath.
The Producers - proper version, which means Zero Mostel. And Gene Wilder. And Liebkind.
Blazing Saddles - it's the brilliant mixture of satire and slapstick.
Any version of His Girl Friday/The Front Page.
Several of the Carry On films. Some of them are very bad, but some of them are very good indeed, and given that comedy, like horror, frequently relies on surprise, they stand up well to repeat viewings.
The Plank - 15 minutes of slapstick genius.
The Ghost of St. Michael's - Which is getting a link because I feel a black and white comedy/thriller/horror/farce made in 1941 needs the publicity. It is deeply, gloriously and ridiculously funny http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_of_St._Michael%27s
I'd include The General and Modern Times etc, but I tend to find them more adorable than funny.
( The Other Days )
