Michael Weiss Show Sept. 26, 2009 (correct date)

[lostnfound]

A list of silent auction items (mostly complete, although stuff is still coming in) is not up on Mike's website www.michaelweiss.org. You can even place a bid via email (directions on the site) Please tell all your friends to go there, and start the bidding!!

This isn’t ALL the items, but we wanted to get items up;
more are coming in, but they will be at the silent auction on Sept 26.

[lostnfound]

The Friday night free reception hosted by TD bank is now sold out. There are still good seats available for Saturday's show, though. We have more on ice seating this year (yep - that's seats on the ice- so dress warm!) Talk about getting up close and personal with the skaters! Hope to see you all there.

[Sylvia]

Local publicity article for this Saturday's show (includes quotes from Michael Weiss and Armin Mahbanoozadeh): http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/...per=81&cat=105

[paskatefan]

Thanks for the article link. Can't wait to see the show tomorrow afternoon!

[skamper23]

For those who are going have a wonderful time! I'm looking forward to the reviews!!!

[lostnfound]

The meet the skaters reception hosted by TD bank last evening was a big hit. Sounds like everyone had a great time and the skaters are all pumped for today's show.

I will be heading to the rink shortly to start getting things set up. If any of you arrive early (and I can say that last year those who did were able to see some of the performers hanging out in the rink lobby watching hockey on t.v., although I make no promises for this year ) track me down (just ask one of the folks with the MWF shirts where Sue is) to say "HI"!

You can actually park on the rink level (which is the top of the mall/parking garage). Just follow the signs for the rink in the parking garage. Since the rink is on top of a nice big mall, you can grab a bit to eat and hang out a bit. Be careful though, I might just put you to work!!

See you at the show!

[Garden Kitty]

Good luck with the show today, lostnfound!

[lostnfound]

Thanks! Are you coming this year?

[Stefanie]

After a grueling drive through all kinds of heavy traffic, I am FINALLY home from the show. It was a nice show all around. I am too tired to write a more detailed report, but I'll come back tomorrow and follow up.

[Hooloovoo]

Just got back from the show myself and have to say it was another winner. Possibly the best show of any of the years. Lots of clean skating and great energy from a really amazing cast!

-Hoo

[toepick]

I went also and thought it was a great show with some skaters stronger than others. For me, Yuka Sato, Jeffrey Buttle, and Ilia Kulik and Emily Hughes were standouts, but I am a longtime Todd Eldredge fan too so I appreciated his presence. Sara Hughes was supposed to skate but apparently got the flu.

[lostnfound]

Whew! Another great show! Thanks to everyone who came out to support the event. You guys are awesome!!

[lostnfound]

Sasha was never on the list to perform this year. (she did do the show last year, however). Glad you enjoyed the show.

[toepick]

Originally Posted by lostnfound

Sasha was never on the list to perform this year. (she did do the show last year, however). Glad you enjoyed the show.

Yeah, I now realize I was thinking about last year's show (which I also attended).

[MissIzzy]

I went to the show with my mother, who knows nothing about skating, but likes to watch the ice shows. This one was her second; he went to Stars on Ice together last year. Before the show I showed her a couple of videos off my iPod: Sarah Hughes winning the Olympics, Tiffany Vise landing the quad, Steven Cousins at Gotta Skate 2005. She's already bugging me to buy tickets to Dorothy Hamill's show. To some extent I think her commentary might be better than mine:

Emannuel Savary:
Skating to some modern-sounding music I didn't recognize. Mom inquired after his age. Had nice spins.

Ellie Kawamura:
Skated to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in this gorgeous rainbowy dress. It was here we first noticed the sound quality at the rink wasn't very good. Mom also said she found her "hesitant" in everything she did, and I think she fell down at one point(or maybe that was Savary). But, she said tolerantly, "she's young yet."

Armin Mahbanoozadeh:
Skated to The Fray's "Never Say Never." Mom had nothing do say, but he impressed me more than he has in the past, and I've seen him live before. Very graceful.

Tiffany Vise & Don Baldwin:
Skated to "Little Thing"(I don't remember who sings it). Technically not very impressive, but lots of fun!

Angela Maxwell:
Skated to a Micheal Jackson medley. At one point we thought the routine was over, but then another song came on!

Dan Hollander:
Pretended to be on So You Think You Can Dance, and I had to explain a good deal to mom in whispers; she's not very knowledgeable about pop culture. I don't remember what he danced to first, but the judges didn't like it. So he put on a tutu and danced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and I think the Chinese dance from The Nutcracker. Very balletic. But the judges didn't like that either, and one commented they'd rather see Beyonce doing that. That's when he stripped down to a leotard and danced sexy to "Single Ladies." The judges declared this would probably be his last week on the show and he stomped off in disgust. Mom called him "very daring."

Kristine Musademba:
I didn't recognize the song, and I think she might have skated well to it, but to be honest I was too distracted fangirling over the Kerrs, who were waiting to go on after her.

Sinead and John Kerr:
Did their Johnny Cash OD, which begins when Sinead miming pulling up to let John into the truck, and ends with him miming driving. Little worried about their twizzle problems, but hopefully they'll pull them off in competition. Routine was enough to make you grin the entire time. Mom liked them too, she called them "very unique."

Steven Cousins:
Didn't recognize the music. Good enough to watch, but I don't think mom was that impressed.

Emily Hughes:
Skated to her "Gone With the Wind" free program, which I think she must really love. I think she landed a couple of triples, but I wouldn't put any bets on their rotation. Mom, who never notices such things, commented on how powerful she was. It was after her performance that they announced Sarah Hughes had the flu and would not be performing, which was a disappointment.

Jeffrey Buttle:
Skated to what would have been his long program last year. He got really into it in his quiet way, and I appreciated it more than I did watching Stars on Ice last year: if you watch, you will be drawn in. Unless you're my mother, who described herself as disappointed.

Yuka Sato:
Skated to a version of "Time After Time." Mom had commented on her extraordinary grace after Stars on Ice, but she didn't seem to find her worth commenting on as much this time around.

Todd Eldredge:
Didn't recognize his music. My mom loved him. She loves him already. Before Stars on Ice last year I showed her a vid of him and she was practically swooning! "He's so handsome..." she sighed. Her crush on him continues, perhaps more so because John Zimmerman was not here; I think she's crushing on him too! She was still talking about him when we left.

Ilia Kulik:
I'm not sure if she noticed him as much on Stars on Ice, but she definitely noticed him now! He was in a white sleeveless top and danced sexy! Mmmmmm. I was tempted to tell my mom he might or might not be newly single, but she disapproves of believing tabloids, so...

Brian Boitano:
Skated to Journey's "Separate Ways." He's definitely still got it; his jumped were doubles I think but the spread eagles, the steps, the moving...

Capitol Steps Synchro Team:
Skating to Black Eyed Peas "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night." Not world level, but they did some good moves, and mom really liked them; declaring she likes this sort of thing.

Michael Weiss:
Skated to AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long," and the backflip was the least of his crazy moves; I think he spent a good deal of time on his back on the ice, playing to the audience a lot. Mom liked it!

In the finale everyone came out wearing Michael Weiss Foundation jackets and Michael, Dan, and Angela all did their backflips simultaneously. Then they got some smuckers strawberries and started throwing. Because of the hockey netting most of them went to the people sitting on the ice, but a few were thrown over the netting. So close; one was caught only a few feet from me. Mom declared that someday we would get one of those strawberries.
So we went home with mom still talking about the men and Sinead and John to dad, and extracting a promise from me that I would go into D.C. and get the tickets to Dorothy Hamill very early next week(Ticketmaster gives me a headache). I suspect, by the way, that her reactions to that show will be *very* interesting. I'm a little nervous to see what she thinks of Johnny...

[belladella]

RE: Emmanuel Savary. Tell your mom that he is eleven years old and is the 2009 US Men Intermediate Jr. National Champion. He's a great spinner and a great jumper.

He just won Novice men at Mid Atlantics. He won Intermediate there last year. He's very personable, a joy to talk to, and wonderful to watch on the ice. I'm glad you and your mom got a chance to see him perform.

[paskatefan]

Loved the show! Just a few comments for now.

MissIzzy, Todd's music was "I'm Gonna Find Another You," the John Mayer song he did in 2009 SOI.

Too bad there was some problem with the sound system - especially noticeable during Ellie and Emily's programs. Hopefully they'll straighten that out for the future.

We've seen Emmanuel Savary at the University of Delaware. He's a charming kid, always smiling, no matter what. His music was some "Mario" theme music.

Armin is so elegant and he had some neat spins.

During the finale Sinead lifted John! three backflips at the end - Mike, Angela, and Dan.

During Dan Hollander's program in "So You Think You Can Dance," there were three "judges" judging his program. We were sitting down at the end of the same side. I think Yuka and Todd were judges, but it was hard to tell who the third judge was. Help!

[Frau Muller]

Thanks to MissIzzy (and her mom) for getting the reviews started. In fact, she did such a great job that I'll only add to her comments (mine in blue):

The Guest Emcee was none other than one of our FSU favorites, Christine Brennan, who apparently has a new book coming out soon.

Emannuel Savary:
Skating to some modern-sounding music I didn't recognize. Mom inquired after his age. Had nice spins. I agree - what a spinner & great all-around skater! Emannuel skated his SP to "Super Mario Brothers" (same music that Oda used to skate to a few years ago).

Ellie Kawamura:
Skated to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in this gorgeous rainbowy dress. It was here we first noticed the sound quality at the rink wasn't very good. Mom also said she found her "hesitant" in everything she did, and I think she fell down at one point(or maybe that was Savary). But, she said tolerantly, "she's young yet." Agree - Most Beautiful Dress and Headpiece of the Day!

Armin Mahbanoozadeh:
Skated to The Fray's "Never Say Never." Mom had nothing do say, but he impressed me more than he has in the past, and I've seen him live before. Very graceful. Lots of energy. Progressing nicely, I can tell.

Tiffany Vise & Don Baldwin:
Skated to "Little Thing"(I don't remember who sings it). Technically not very impressive, but lots of fun! A sexy number, well received...she with fish-net-like patterned black stockings. Extra kudos to Don for his amazing strength, commented on by lots of folks sitting around me. By the way, is he any relation to John Baldwin, Jr.? Looks a bit like John Jr.

Angela Maxwell:
Skated to a Micheal Jackson medley. At one point we thought the routine was over, but then another song came on! What a mighty-mite dynamo. Audience went crazy for her back flip. Her 'rough and tumble' skating style is not my cup of tea but you have to admire her oomph.

Dan Hollander:
Pretended to be on So You Think You Can Dance, and I had to explain a good deal to mom in whispers; she's not very knowledgeable about pop culture. I don't remember what he danced to first, but the judges didn't like it. So he put on a tutu and danced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and I think the Chinese dance from The Nutcracker. Very balletic. But the judges didn't like that either, and one commented they'd rather see Beyonce doing that. That's when he stripped down to a leotard and danced sexy to "Single Ladies." The judges declared this would probably be his last week on the show and he stomped off in disgust. Mom called him "very daring." GREAT comedic number, not just the part with the tutu but, later, the sexy black leotard part. Dan is incredibly creative, every year dreaming up these hilarious numbers. Cameo Insight: the three 'judges' sitting on the ice were, left to right, Lisa Weiss, Yuka Sato and Todd Eldredge!

Kristine Musademba:
I didn't recognize the song, and I think she might have skated well to it, but to be honest I was too distracted fangirling over the Kerrs, who were waiting to go on after her. My favorite of the solo eligible ladies, Kristine has such gorgeous lines and charisma!

Sinead and John Kerr:
Did their Johnny Cash OD, which begins when Sinead miming pulling up to let John into the truck, and ends with him miming driving. Little worried about their twizzle problems, but hopefully they'll pull them off in competition. Routine was enough to make you grin the entire time. Mom liked them too, she called them "very unique." A GREAT, CLEVER OD which will surely be one of the HITS of the Vancouver Olympics Ice Dance competition, once they fine-tune and polish it. I had to chuckle during the straight line sequence of twizzles, just thinking about FSUers comments in the past: "Windmill Arms." Windmills were definitely in operation here!

Steven Cousins:
Didn't recognize the music. Good enough to watch, but I don't think mom was that impressed. This guy sizzles and looks as ruggedly-handsome as ever. A real showman.

Emily Hughes:
Skated to her "Gone With the Wind" free program, which I think she must really love. I think she landed a couple of triples, but I wouldn't put any bets on their rotation. Mom, who never notices such things, commented on how powerful she was. It was after her performance that they announced Sarah Hughes had the flu and would not be performing, which was a disappointment. Sitting on ice, I could REALLY feel her muscular power...swoooosh!!!!...whenever she skated by. This program has a lot of potential. I really love her red dress. Her triple jumps are not quite there yet -- I counted one, towards the end of the routine -- but she had some really high and beautifully-landed doubles and zippy spins. On the other hand, I wasn't as thrilled about her spiral with the high leg...something about it makes me uncomfortable.

Yup - Sarah was a no-show but I was probalby even more upset that Joannie Rochette -- scheduled to appear when I had bought my tix -- didn't come either.

Jeffrey Buttle:
Skated to what would have been his long program last year. He got really into it in his quiet way, and I appreciated it more than I did watching Stars on Ice last year: if you watch, you will be drawn in. Unless you're my mother, who described herself as disappointed. Jeff was incredible. A gorgeous program. Real artist out there.

Yuka Sato:
Skated to a version of "Time After Time." Mom had commented on her extraordinary grace after Stars on Ice, but she didn't seem to find her worth commenting on as much this time around. OK, my A#1 favorite routine of the show. Yuka's sheer stroking, gliding, and overall beauty on the ice make me go "Aaaaahhhhh!" Perfectly-centered and arched spins. Delectable pale-pink halter dress with a shimmering swarovski-crystal-encrusted back. This is what true Ladies Skating is all about, IMO. I am a happier human being just from seeing this artist, Yuka Sato. Brava!!!

Todd Eldredge:
Didn't recognize his music. My mom loved him. She loves him already. Before Stars on Ice last year I showed her a vid of him and she was practically swooning! "He's so handsome..." she sighed. Her crush on him continues, perhaps more so because John Zimmerman was not here; I think she's crushing on him too! She was still talking about him when we left. Todd was great and got a fabulous reception. I always found him a bit stiff in his eligible days but, my, how he has developed into a very engaging performer now. He looks so relaxed and happy.

Ilia Kulik:
I'm not sure if she noticed him as much on Stars on Ice, but she definitely noticed him now! He was in a white sleeveless top and danced sexy! Mmmmmm. I was tempted to tell my mom he might or might not be newly single, but she disapproves of believing tabloids, so... Hip-hop Fun from Ilya tonight. BEST Funky Dance Moves of the lot. The baby-faced lad of competition years and early pro years is gone. I would not have recognized him had he not been announced - truly, he is so different now (but still gorgeous in a very different way). Baby Boy is now a Man!!!!


Brian Boitano:
Skated to Journey's "Separate Ways." He's definitely still got it; his jumped were doubles I think but the spread eagles, the steps, the moving... That spread eagle AND death drop were extraordinary. He did do a couple of triples, at least. Like Todd, Brian is now a very engaging and relaxed skater. Cooking becomes him.

Capitol Steps Synchro Team:
Skating to Black Eyed Peas "Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night." Not world level, but they did some good moves, and mom really liked them; declaring she likes this sort of thing. Lots of fun. It's truly nice to have some variety in these sorts of exhibitions. I miss the old days when group skating was an integral part of every ice show.

Michael Weiss:
Skated to AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long," and the backflip was the least of his crazy moves; I think he spent a good deal of time on his back on the ice, playing to the audience a lot. Mom liked it! Wild, crazy fun!!! I especially loved the long glide-spreadeagle performed on his heels...which came straight at me. Luckily, Mike stopped just before he would have landed on my lap. My husband yelled out "Stop, Michael! Stop!" while laughing, of course.

In the finale everyone came out wearing Michael Weiss Foundation jackets and Michael, Dan, and Angela all did their backflips simultaneously. Then they got some smuckers strawberries and started throwing. Because of the hockey netting most of them went to the people sitting on the ice, but a few were thrown over the netting. So close; one was caught only a few feet from me. Mom declared that someday we would get one of those strawberries. Indeed, a wonderful finale, with all of the skaters performing their signature moves - my fave was the Kerrs' gender-bender lift, with Sinead carrying an upside down John, who waved at all of us. Once the lights went up, all of the skaters went around the rink, high-fiveing the hands of us sitting on the ice. That alone was worth the extra cost of the on-ice tix. Definitely recommended.

What a great way to begin the big Olympic skating season. Even my husband the hockey man is now enjoying figure skating!

[Kathryn2001]

Out of lurkdom here to comment on Ilia Kulik. I was sitting by the skater entrance and didn't recognize him at first either. I'm honestly wondering, and commented to my frends, whether he is now enjoying his "teen years" which he probably didn't have a chance to enjoy as a real teen. At the same time, I missed some of his high spectacular triple jumps I've seen him perform in the past few years, ie SOI. Some of his program yesterday seemed to be partly choreographed as he went along....just my opinion.

[0711]

We went to the meet & greet as well as the show, and had a great time. The skaters were all so incredibly nice at the meet & greet, and made my kids look forward to the show even more than they did before.

A few random comments about the show:

- Ilia Kulik skated to "Deal With It" by Corbin Bleu. It was the program that he skated in the Kristi Yamaguchi Friends & Family show a couple of years ago. His skating skills are so wonderful. It was the first time I saw him perform live and it was such a treat!

- The synchro team that performed was the Intermediate level team. They had alot of energy and looked like they had fun out there.

- Because there were two rows of seats on the ice, I wasn't expecting alot of triples to be done.

- Angela Maxwell is a little firecracker. Her Michael Jackson medley was alot of fun, and boy can that girl dance! My kids were also impressed that she could do a back flip on the ice.

- The local kids, Kristine & Armin, are both developing so nicely. We are hoping to see both of them in Spokane this year.

- Yuka Sato - Beautiful skating from her. I can hear Dick Button's voice saying, "she's a skater's skater" as I watch her move across the ice.

- Brian Boitano - He definitely still has it. His spread eagles are to die for. I have no idea how he doesn't topple over, seeing how far he leans when he does them.

Here are a few pictures I took at the event:

http://michaelweissshow2009.shutterfly.com/