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Curse you SO, for wanting to watch America's Best Dance Crew last night... I missed part of Evan Lysachek's awesome performance. :( (Mind you, I normally like watching b-boys poppin'-'n-lockin', but men's figure skating takes precedence over that in my book. ;)
First impression of Olympic men's skating this year: form-fitting black with sequins is IN this season, especially with black gloves. (Not that I have any complaints; but it really did look like a bishonen lover's paradise on the ice. XD)
The short programs this year were strong (very few falls or missed jumps by the top men), which always make me worry, because the skaters then fall apart in the long program. But I was impressed, because most of the skaters tried to hang in there, and fought for their jumps.
However, I will mention that I am annoyed that most of the men front-loaded their programs (i.e. did most their jumps near the beginning, then did some at the end, when they get bonus points for it). In my day, you tried to at least spread them out throughout the routine... *grumble* (Okay, not always. But it is a legitimate complaint. ;P)
*rewatching Lysacek's free skate* LOL, he's skating to Sheherazade (AKA the same music that Michelle Kwan skated to when she first became world champion, I believe XD).
I must admit, I was not prepared to like Lycechek at first (he hasn't impressed me in the past). But there is no doubt in my mind that he deserved that gold; he had two excellent skates, and worked hard for it. I was also impressed with his choreography this season (it was more balletic, which is what I prefer). To be honest, I thought he should've been first in the short program, since he was cleaner, which leads me to...
Plushenko. Now traditionally, I've always supported the Russian men, and Plushenko is no exception. (He has the same coach as my favourite skater, LOL!) But he faltered a bit in both the short and the long, so he deserved the silver in my book.
However, what worries me is how Plushenko's been villified in the Olympics. Yes, I admit I'm biased, and no, I'm not exactly sure what he said to raise the media's ire, but the Plushenko I'm familiar with has an odd sense of humour. He's cocky, yes (but most talented young men are).
Also, one has to remember, English is not Plushenko's first language, so some of his remarks may come off worse than intended (they certainly were playing up the ominous music when they showed that fluff piece on him on NBC :P). I almost wonder if it's that old Cold War era coming into play... (BTW, still diappointed didn't see my favourite Russian-skater-turned-coach at the Olympics, argh...)
In other news, I was happy that the Japanese won the bronze (their first ever men's medal!). They have such a strong team now, and I was impressed by Takahashi (speaking of bishonen... ;), especially after recovering his injury. With two strong programs, he definately deserved his medal as well.
Now for the Canadian... I was hoping Patrick Chan would do well, but he's still young... He does have a lot of potential (I thought so two years ago, and my opinion still stands). He has the choreography and the technique to do well, so I hope for good things from him in the future. :) (I'm still disappointed that Jeffrey Buttle, the 2008 World Champion from Canada, didn't compete in these Olympics...)
The Swiss guy, Lambiel... He's one of those skaters I can watch even if he is falling on his butt; his other elements like his spins and his footwork are so interesting, that it keeps me glued to the screen. I was happy that he mananged to keep it together in the long program, even if had to fight for every jump.
Johnny Weir (aka the other American ;). Like the audience, I thought he skated well in both programs, and placed lower than he should. (I was amused that the "knowledgable" Canadian audience thought the same, and booed the judges both times. XD)
Now I kind of want to work on my original figure skating-inspired story ideas... (Incidently, one of them is inspired by both Firebird and Sheherazade, the two pieces of ballet music that Lycechek skated to. ;)
First impression of Olympic men's skating this year: form-fitting black with sequins is IN this season, especially with black gloves. (Not that I have any complaints; but it really did look like a bishonen lover's paradise on the ice. XD)
The short programs this year were strong (very few falls or missed jumps by the top men), which always make me worry, because the skaters then fall apart in the long program. But I was impressed, because most of the skaters tried to hang in there, and fought for their jumps.
However, I will mention that I am annoyed that most of the men front-loaded their programs (i.e. did most their jumps near the beginning, then did some at the end, when they get bonus points for it). In my day, you tried to at least spread them out throughout the routine... *grumble* (Okay, not always. But it is a legitimate complaint. ;P)
*rewatching Lysacek's free skate* LOL, he's skating to Sheherazade (AKA the same music that Michelle Kwan skated to when she first became world champion, I believe XD).
I must admit, I was not prepared to like Lycechek at first (he hasn't impressed me in the past). But there is no doubt in my mind that he deserved that gold; he had two excellent skates, and worked hard for it. I was also impressed with his choreography this season (it was more balletic, which is what I prefer). To be honest, I thought he should've been first in the short program, since he was cleaner, which leads me to...
Plushenko. Now traditionally, I've always supported the Russian men, and Plushenko is no exception. (He has the same coach as my favourite skater, LOL!) But he faltered a bit in both the short and the long, so he deserved the silver in my book.
However, what worries me is how Plushenko's been villified in the Olympics. Yes, I admit I'm biased, and no, I'm not exactly sure what he said to raise the media's ire, but the Plushenko I'm familiar with has an odd sense of humour. He's cocky, yes (but most talented young men are).
Also, one has to remember, English is not Plushenko's first language, so some of his remarks may come off worse than intended (they certainly were playing up the ominous music when they showed that fluff piece on him on NBC :P). I almost wonder if it's that old Cold War era coming into play... (BTW, still diappointed didn't see my favourite Russian-skater-turned-coach at the Olympics, argh...)
In other news, I was happy that the Japanese won the bronze (their first ever men's medal!). They have such a strong team now, and I was impressed by Takahashi (speaking of bishonen... ;), especially after recovering his injury. With two strong programs, he definately deserved his medal as well.
Now for the Canadian... I was hoping Patrick Chan would do well, but he's still young... He does have a lot of potential (I thought so two years ago, and my opinion still stands). He has the choreography and the technique to do well, so I hope for good things from him in the future. :) (I'm still disappointed that Jeffrey Buttle, the 2008 World Champion from Canada, didn't compete in these Olympics...)
The Swiss guy, Lambiel... He's one of those skaters I can watch even if he is falling on his butt; his other elements like his spins and his footwork are so interesting, that it keeps me glued to the screen. I was happy that he mananged to keep it together in the long program, even if had to fight for every jump.
Johnny Weir (aka the other American ;). Like the audience, I thought he skated well in both programs, and placed lower than he should. (I was amused that the "knowledgable" Canadian audience thought the same, and booed the judges both times. XD)
Now I kind of want to work on my original figure skating-inspired story ideas... (Incidently, one of them is inspired by both Firebird and Sheherazade, the two pieces of ballet music that Lycechek skated to. ;)
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