Tuesday, January 14, 2014

This show is so fucked up you can second guess until you're twisted. Right now I'm at - is this actually supposed to be believable or is it one of those double or triple blind reverse type deals?
Tessa notes that TIFF is a crazy scene.
"How does Chiddy do this all the time by himself?"
nervous giggles Tessa.
I DON'T do this all the time!
I'm just playing along with your crazy!
Seriously that's all we get from her until Jian the Journalist shows up.
Tee to the hee x 1000.
I did learn she won't share that she's had a child, but she
will overshare about whether or not her legs are smooth.

Which isn't cocktail conversation, because the alternative to smooth
isn't cocktail conversation. Who the fuck wants that visual?
She wants to lock her real stuff down, LOCK IT ALL DOWN bitch.
"Hey - you look great! Last time I saw you,
you were pregnant! Let's hang!"
Behold skating journalism.  This d.j./interviewer/ex-comedian/is identified here as a "journalist." He "journaled" Tessa and Scott while she was very pregnant.

"It was really refreshing to get out and socialize and see other people and
feel like I was a normal person. This wife and mother and skater shit is for the birds.

It was fun. My life is so sheltered at the moment that,
just knowing that that’s out there -
– a life of socializing at invitation only fashion events
wearing couture and interacting with local media celebrities –
just relieves the stress. I know I'll be vomiting a
lot less after this."
It's really hard for Tessa to date, Tessa shares, because she lives in
Canton. Michigan. And Londonontario.  There are
no men in either city.
Basically Tessa just told us that after she's done skating she's going to be a socialite. Good for her.

I know Tessa did some more tee heeing and she vo'd about how she can't wait to have a real relationship instead of this fake nothing happening bullshit with Scott, but I'm done with her. Let's move on to this episode's raison d'etre.

Mommy and Dad let Scotty boy use the
basement TV space for girlfriend sexy times.


Let's take a closer look.

You get it dawg.
There it is. It's morning. And he went over there at night.
Nobody can say Alma's little boy isn't a real man.
I may be just spelunking for a silver lining, but when I look at Chiddy in this it's hard not to wonder if it's beginning to dawn on him that Scott and Tessa are both really really really REALLY stupid. Chiddy's a character, and at times seems possibly a little volatile, and a little young, but he's smart. We can see that. He's got enough brains to go on with.

Scott and Tessa? I bet we're not the only ones catching on.

There's the minor, doesn't mean anything evidence, which is that a lot of Skate Canada's skaters are bilingual (Chiddy's tri or quad lingual) and Scott and Tessa just about pass in English, and that's it. There's been all kinds of opportunity to get a grasp on at least French, but nah. Bryce learned it in what - a few months? It's kind of something you'd think they'd catch onto at this point, but nope.

Then there's the real evidence that all the lights aren't on upstairs: Everything Scott and Tessa say, and everything they do.

It can take years for even people close to them to figure that out. Between the pretty, the sweet, the ability to compete, and the huge figure skating talent and dance talent, a lot of people take it as given that with all of that, the other basics must of course be present - a good dose of smarts, common sense, ability to reason, a certain amount of maturity. All that personal appeal sort of READS like the more substantial stuff. It can take years before it dawns on anyone that talent and personal appeal don't = substance.

(Their "unique" history and their 'sheltered' environment doesn't create or account for this level of both dumb ass and jackass. They just got severely shortchanged in the critical thinking department.)

(This is a theme in literature AND a theme in beach reads. I recall a Maeve Binchey novel where the heroine - a beautiful, talented, sensitive woman, abandons her family to run off with the love of her life, only to realize less than ten years later that he's really really stupid, a bit pathetic, and kind of a fraud.)

In the past Tessa and Scott were outliers because they were beautiful, because of the love and chemistry between them, and because of their outrageous skating talent. It almost stands to reason if they have all that, we can at least expect they have the same brains as the rest of the figure skaters in Canada. And we would be wrong.

I'm thinking maybe people are realizing that their good friends, their colleagues, their role models, are as genuinely crazy (versus endearingly crazy) and deeply, impenetrably stupid as it gets.

134 comments:

  1. Lol the cameras showing that Scott arrived at night and he is supposedly still in the same house in the morning.

    I'm going to go further than the comment saying they have a contract with Cassandra to feature the hot&heavy relationship in every episode. I think it's specifically about showing--in every episode--that Scott lives/sleeps with Cassandra. Now the question is how do they showcase that away from "home" during a competition? Why, they share a hotel room, of course!

    Sex and exhibitionism are ever the main preoccupations of the sham. This time they got the added benefit of putting it on national TV. Yay for VM's stupidity.

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    1. When we first heard about this reality show and when we realized it was going to be more than Ice Sweat and Tears, I figured the platonic part would be both explicit and implicit but NOT THE FUCKING THEME. This is not Scott and Tessa the skaters - a made for TV version of Scott and Tessa the skaters. This is Scott and Tessa last-wording it on network television with their soul public relations message - WE ARE NOT A COUPLE. That's IT. That's all we have here. There's no interest in anything else. Have they shown us anything else?

      And what I want to know is - what are they winning? What last word are they getting here? They could get a divorce and be technically not a couple - still means they WERE a couple the entire time they denied it. They can't shove their daughter back up Tessa's vagina or disapparate her back into the respective egg and sperm that created her.

      They can't HAVE the last word - they're married. What the hell are they accomplishing?

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  2. "but when I look at Chiddy in this it's hard not to wonder if it's beginning to dawn on him that Scott and Tessa are both really really really REALLY stupid."

    Bahaha. I agree that's how it seems. And I can totally see Patrick being the easygoing and somewhat naive one who is the last to clue in, but who quickly gets the whole picture once it's spelled out in this pathetic fashion.

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  3. What exactly is Scott gazing at outside the window? A Sochi gold medal going up in flames he's helping kindle?

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    1. i wonder if they purposely did that because they know its "meryl and charlie's turn"

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  4. OT, but I just finished watching DW's programs from US Nationals. The things that stood out to me were how slow they were and all of the time spent on flats. The new "erotic touching" part was actually comical. Meryl looked disgusted with herself and Charlie appeared to want Jesus to come for him then than endure one more nanosecond of it.

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    1. They usually slow down around this time. It's not going to matter. I think they'll get the gold medal and then the ISU will say "that never happened" and never want to talk about the skating that won the gold. They will turn around in 2014-2015 and ruthlessly rip marks from anyone who even attempts to pull a DW. They'll cover themselves in skating virtue, all to get away with this one little crime.

      Did Charlie make eye contact?

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    2. Nope, no eye contact.

      Skip to the 2:30 mark:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9yX3S9VdtI

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    3. The comments section below this one is a mess and tomorrow I'll go through it a little more, I think.

      But I want to point out, with all the fulminating about Meryl and Charlie and Marina conspiring against them, that MERYL AND CHARLIE APPEARED IN THE REALITY SHOW. The submitted themselves to Virtue and Moir and the W networks edit. And also, likely, got paid.

      I don't know if anybody remembers one of my two all time favorite reality shows (I don't like many, so that doesn't mean much) - the Osbournes. We constantly saw Jack and Kelly Osbourne, and occasionally Ozzy's son from his first marriage. We didn't see Amy, his and Sharon's other daughter. She didn't want to be on the show. We hardly saw her mentioned. One time she was in the house her face was blurred and her voice was distorted. She didn't want to be on it.

      Tessa and Scott just can't take W network cameras into Arctic Edge and everybody has to deal. Marina has to agree to be on camera. Jean Marc has to agree - obviously they both agreed and also played into the storyline big time. The skaters playing support when Scott showed he controls the women - they all agreed.

      I haven't seen the Shibs yet - maybe they'll show later. Meryl and Charlie agreed to appear on this reality show with their long time friends Scott and Tessa, demonstrating, as mentioned in the comments section below, that this "we're just civil" bullshit is as contrived as everything else. Are there tensions - there HAVE to be tensions, although getting your ass kicked at every competition for two years and realizing the gold is already lost may take some of the edge off.

      Meryl and Charlie agreed to appear on this show knowing perfectly well (as they're not idiots) that they'd be presented as the Darth Vader/Evil Empire of Arctic Edge. It's all a joke. But they'll have the gold, skating on flats, gliding in slow motion, touching each other like they want to kill themselves and all. And Scott and Tessa will have - whatever it is they got out of this quad, besides a beautiful daughter they seek to extinguish so the rest of us can know Scott's penis works in women that aren't Tessa.

      And yet he still didn't accomplish that one either.

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    4. 9:01 - ha - that's great. Of course he throws his head back.

      After seeing P/I, W/P and V/M this weekend, that program looks as empty as all hell, and has flattened out. The fetal lift looks ridiculous next to the lifts by the Canadian teams. It's pitiful, and the face-to-face, simple hand hold, miles apart, swing around and change places method of covering ice is such an insult to every other team who worked to go to Sochi. It's criminal.

      And VM helped make it happen, if we really deconstruct.

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    5. "Meryl and Charlie agreed to appear on this show knowing perfectly well (as they're not idiots) that they'd be presented as the Darth Vader/Evil Empire of Arctic Edge. It's all a joke. But they'll have the gold, skating on flats, gliding in slow motion, touching each other like they want to kill themselves and all. And Scott and Tessa will have - whatever it is they got out of this quad, besides a beautiful daughter they seek to extinguish so the rest of us can know Scott's penis works in women that aren't Tessa.

      And yet he still didn't accomplish that one either."

      That pretty much sums it all up.

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    6. LMAO THIS COMMENT. someone should make a video comparing the two fd performances back to back. because all i can see is elegantness for v/m and sloppiness for d/w. i saw more sexy touching because d/w do it so poorly and by contrast it makes v/m look more elegant, crisp, and clean.

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    7. I noticed how much time Meryl & Charlie spent apart in their FD unlike Tessa & Scott who are in closed holds for a significant amount of time and no more but an arm's length from each other always. And D/W's step sequences were indeed sloppier. Meryl especially was rocking her blades on flats.

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    8. I think the next post is going to look at lifts - DW's lifts versus - EVERYBODY's. It's absolutely obscene DW's base value and GOE is anywhere near - anybody else's. Just watch the top three teams at Canadian Nationals, and then look at DW at the US Nationals. It's the biggest fraud in sports.

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    9. OC - like you said it's not only the Canadians - even their US counterparts do a much better job on lifts - it's ridiculous...

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    10. Someone was saying the Turkish couple at Euros (Agafanova/Ucar) did Meryl and Charlie's "famous" split lift.

      There's some Russian couple that does a version of the goose (Stepanova/Bukin, and I think some junior Ukranian couple that Zhulin coaches who skated at JGPF this year).

      It might be interesting to see whether the lower-ranked/junior teams are able to do DW's lifts as DW do them, while noting that teams copying VM lifts usually have to do much easier variations with literally more hand-holding and core-hugging a la DW.

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    11. Here is the Turkish couple http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qCyYxQmn_kE#t=244 (4:04)

      Ukrainian goose: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xfK99kqUsCc&list=PLuB703eaMDlIp4F5dbVJLx47sejy7qJfj#t=48 (48 seconds)

      Russians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp-pBrZFBM4&feature=player_detailpage#t=112 (1:52)

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    12. I thought that was B/A's famous split lift? There probably are examples of lower-ranked teams doing D/W lifts exactly as they do, but D/W do the lift differently now with Meryl up way higher. It might not be more difficult, however, considering how much Meryl weighs.

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  5. This is an interesting read.

    http://www.vulture.com/2014/01/read-meryl-streeps-nbr-speech-in-its-entirety.html

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    1. Thank you for linking that. I'd heard of it but hadn't read it, and it's absolutely wonderful. And, of course, can be used to take apart Tessa and Scott's rationale - take it apart, hell. Eviscerate it.

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  6. OC, would love a post focused on the new-ish free dance esp the lifts!!

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  7. (Snicker)....CaSSONdra making public some previously private facebook pictures. None the public hadn't seen before but methinks she's feeling neglected. Two episodes in and who cares about her. Who is not aware by now she's around throughout the whole series? And so what? She/Moirville can continue shoving her in the fans' faces all they want. Sorry honey, no one gives a damn.

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    1. I think she seriously overestimated her adoring public's interest in her. Poor thing. At the very least she should get an IMDB account and have "Scott Moir's girlfriend" listed as a credit.

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    2. Poor girl, here she so willingly prostitutes herself, allows Moirville to portray her as a mute, devoted girlfriend who has nothing better to do than waiting for Scott's command to spread her legs and what does she get in return ?
      No model jobs, no fans, just jealous fan girls who don't like her, ignore her and pretend she doesn't even exist.
      Moirville probably promised her more than just public humiliation on national TV.

      I can't wait to see their romantic boat ride. Maybe she will be allowed to say more than two sentences. But I doubt it. This will be about Scott showing the world once again that he is getting laid. And this time not just in Canada but in a different timezone !

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    3. @3:53
      Eh, the gf could speak much but this series is still crappy and by being associated with it she shows what/who she is . A trashy famewhore willing to involve herself in a hoax for personal attention. There's no way she comes out of this looking good. Except to her friends who are of the same mindset.

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    4. One of the problems is everybody looks so unattractive. Scott and Tessa are a pretty couple, and this is film (or so it appears), not video, and people generally look better on film, but here, they don't.

      There seems to be an obvious lens filter, but the effect is unflattering and the lighting is unflattering. The color tones aren't good either.

      In the talking heads Tessa doesn't even look cute and Scott looks ridiculous. The "pensive" profile screen cap of Scott above is extremely unflattering. Cassandra looks washed out and hard in most shots. For God's sake, the person who looks the best so far is Patrick Chan, and that's just wrong. He looked good in the checked shirt at camp and he looked good at TIFF. The lighting on the principles isn't good, but whatever lighting they're using works on Chan.

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  8. Did Charlie actually say that Meryl looks "ethnically ambiguous" in an interview?

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    1. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/sports/olympics/ice-dancing-adored-and-mocked-could-give-americans-a-lone-gold.html?_r=0

      " "If music and costumes are an integral part of a skating performance, so is physical appearance. There is no mistaking White, with his mop of blond hair, or Davis, with wide-set eyes that give her a distinct and transfixing beauty. Her ethereal look has provided an indeterminate ethnicity, allowing Davis to seamlessly inhabit various roles from a Bollywood dancer to Scheherazade.

      "Quite often," White said jokingly, "people will comment on that, and I’m like: ‘Well, what about me? Are you saying I’m not a unique beauty?’ ” More seriously, White added: “What makes us stand out is not just our skating ability but our physical features. It’s definitely played a part in the uniqueness of our programs. We do a lot of exotic themes, and part of that has to be based on the girl. She’s such a component of whether that’s going to be believable when you hear the music.

      “Ethnically ambiguous. That’s a big thing nowadays. You want that.” "

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    2. I always wondered why Meryl is considered exotic. She is as white and American as one can be. Brown hair certainly can't be enough to be exotic.
      She has an odd look but that's not exotic.
      But they also believe that they're showing a Persian dance so what do they know ?

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    3. 3:41 A.M. I'm not completely sure, but I think Meryl's hair color is lighter in the old DW vids (junior years and younger), so that shade of brown might not be natural.

      I am not sure whether I am more annoyed at uniqueness-exotic themes-based on the *girl* or the naivete of 'ethnically ambiguous' remark. Is Charlie saying "we're not 'whitebread' like our rivals"? Dude, you and Meryl are as white as the Canadians.

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    4. Charlie White is lucky that in most respects, USFSA is better at media training him. And that he's not as mouthy/candid as Scott. Because I suspect without the fed's guiding hand, we'd be getting a lot more clueless quotes from him. (And Meryl).

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    5. I don't think Charlie White is as personally insecure as Scott appears to be. He's more comfortable being self-deprecating (outside of skating). He also appears to be light years less self-conscious. These aren't attributes of somebody extensively media trained, even though it's likely he has been. Media training isn't all that sophisticated a process - a lot of it is just teaching these people to be professional and use common sense and not put their foot in their mouth.

      It's not that Charlie is so media trained; it's that Scott and Tessa are so awful at it.

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    6. For me calling her "exotic" is sort of by default, not really who she is or what she projects. She's not really a "type", and figure skating likes types. To take that off the table they had to find a look for her and they went with dramatic. She's naturally blonde or light brown, a color that I think flatters her face and skin better, but also puts her in among a billion other more conventional looking skaters. She is a bit of an outlier in her facial features, and going for a dramatic look (that's what it is, really, "dramatic", not exotic. An attempt at drama using high contrast - fair skin, dark hair) makes a virtue of necessity.

      It's odd how they try to imply the look is versatile when the look is about as versatile as their program choices - meaning, it's not. And when people write about them they ignore the many many ods and short dances, and only focus on free dances.

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    7. Charlie was simply repeating - and responding to - the fact that OTHERS have called Meryl's look "exotic". The biggest DW fans on the planet - it's their go-to for her. The MEDIA has described her as exotic. Charlie was responding to the TOPIC.

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    8. It is, though. It's a comment on media. I can't put my hand on it at the moment, but quite some time ago I was emailed a satirical video of a commercial featuring an "ethnically ambiguous" girl, who, with quick-cut editing, was made to come across as dynamic in a tampon commercial.

      It was a satire on what is commercially "in" right now and a satire on commercial video tricks with which we're all familiar.

      Casting gets very VERY specific and absolutely does spell it out exactly like that: "ethnically ambiguous." It's been hot in casting for quite some time. Charlie didn't invent the term - that term has been all over branding, all over media, all over stuff aimed at women. It's seen as casting a wide net. Get an "ethnically ambiguous" young woman and you're hitting more demographic. That's the idea. Charlie didn't invent it, it's been used so much sketch comedies are mocking it.

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    9. She isn't "exotic," she's weird looking, and DW are using that. Part of their schtick is this "interesting looking" smart girl and her chubby partner beating the pretty people just from plain old hard work and elbow grease, even with less natural talent. Of course, let's ignore that their incredibly rich and privileged and their hard work doesn't show at all in improved skating.

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  9. Front page of Yahoo! :)

    http://sports.yahoo.com/video/outside-games-alex-maia-shibutani-184041526.html

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    1. I heart the Shibs.

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    2. I enjoy the Shibs - but does anyone else think that Alex Shibutani is starting to become a bit obnoxious? He stated that he felt like a "rock star" at Nationals after the applause for the FD...and really folks what are the Shibs selling with their videos? Personalities, off-ice shenanigans? Yes it's cute but for how long? And really how much are they selling the sport?
      Gotta love all the media that Gracie Gold is getting after her win at Nationals..thanks to the USFSA...makes you wonder if the USFSA is willing to deal a bit to get Gracie a bronze or silver at Sochi...

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    3. I think the Shibs are genuinely enthusiastic about video production, especially Alex. It's clear he LOVES it. What's he going to do - create a short story, cast it and film it? Work as an intern somewhere? He's doing what he loves - a real passion, and using what makes sense for them at this time - filming fun features using life on the road or in training, and using many other skaters (which is a great value add to the Shibsibs videos - when they use skaters from the international figure skating community).

      I don't think they're "selling the sport." They're reaching out to the public and I'm not going to push back against that since when the Shibs do a video they're not also trying to shove cereal or yogurt in our face - or lies. I see no downside, and I don't see them as obnoxious. I'd expect Alex to try and transition to some aspect of video production when he's done skating - his enthusiasm and interest is patently genuine.

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    4. Hi OC - anon here at 5:51 am. Thanks for responding to my comment. I agree with you that they enjoy making the videos and that or not pushing an agenda or product. I just think that other amateur athletes - especially extreme sport athletes and surfers have done some great videos providing glimpses of personalities and the sport they represent.
      I have nothing against the videos - but sometimes I wonder if Igor Shpilband was still in Canton and part of the coaching staff - if VM would have done the reality series or if the Shibs would be spending time doing videos...I always got the impression that Shpilband was hardcore...again just an observation...

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    5. I have the opposite impression - Shpilband wasn't hardcore at all that way.

      There are too many assumptions, IMO, behind how people react to the way skaters spend their time.

      We have to understand Scott and Tessa are ADULTS. And not only are they hardheaded, they come from a community that is loaded up with agenda. Marina goes WAY back to the 1980s and she knows where to interfere and where not to interfere. Scott and Tessa already rejected Marina and Igor's advice about 2011 (if they can be believed - which, you know how much that's worth. But they said their coaches advised them to sit out the season).

      WHY would Igor OR Marina tell them no even if they thought it was a bad idea? It's on THEIR heads, not hers. Same with Shpilband. The coaches that have tried to micro-manage the lives of their skaters have no greater success than the coaches that give them the tools to manage their own skating. Coaches can only give advice - if asked. They can't dictate.

      I don't for one second believe that everybody around Scott and Tessa said "go for it" with the reality show. They either framed/couched their "opinions" or otherwise put the ball back in Scott and Tessa's court. That's as toxic an area as it gets and any coach with half a brain is going to steer clear.

      I don't get the assumptions behind "spending their time." What the hell are the skaters supposed to do when they're not at the rink or doing off ice training? Not have lives? How do these (extremely short) Shib videos detract or distract from skating?

      With Scott and Tessa's reality show, it's different. The reality show encroaches upon their training, how they are in their competitive environment, AND it encroached on their normal home life and normal down time because they spent an awful lot of time when NOT skating/training away from their real lives because they were shooting a piece of fiction in their down time instead.

      A skater who spends his/her downtime doing something they love for fun is different than a skater who adds a huge outside, irrelevant agenda.

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    6. No I agree you can't compare apples to oranges with the Shibs videos to the reality crap from VM.

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    7. "AND it encroached on their normal home life and normal down time because they spent an awful lot of time when NOT skating/training away from their real lives because they were shooting a piece of fiction in their down time instead."

      This.

      How much time did they forsake with their young child because of filming this icky piece of fiction? How much time did that child have to spend away from her own home(s) because her being had to be erased from Mommy's and Daddy's lives? How much of that little girl's life was turned upside down at an age when little kids badly need a stable routine and structure as they deal with new, very big, emerging emotions and feelings? You'd think that VM wouldn't want to miss out on any more moments and milestones with their child than necessary, but putting lies on tv is more important than experiencing their daughter's childhood. The moments of her life that they missed can't be gotten back.

      Tessa and Scott are terrible parents.

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    8. 10:16 - Their daughter doesn't have to spend any time away from her own home because Scott and Tessa didn't film in their home. That's not Scott's home where he's shot with Cassandra and odds are that's not Tessa's home where she's shown old-souling it on the couch with a good book.

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    9. It's the Hilborn house that Scott and Cassandra cuddle in. Doesn't change the fact that they're still terrible parents and their daughter has been deprived of her parents thanks to this show.

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    10. I knew that the Scott and Cassandra scenes were at the Hilborns, but I thought the ones with Tessa could be their actual house in London. I suppose you're right that it might not be though. Maybe it's the Virtue family home?

      Even if the child is at home in either London or the Detroit-area, she still spent more time there with someone who was not mom and/or dad than she should have thanks to this show.

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    11. 10:16, Scott and Tessa's "reality" show shows so LITTLE. We get more talking heads than almost anything else, and as this thing is scripted, they could have efficiently blocked time for that. The couch shit with Cassandra could have all been filmed in one go - the stilted snugglefest in Ep. 1 and the TV viewing in Episode 2. Everything is blank-slated - we can't see out the windows, there's nothing real life. Everything is sterile when it comes to the stuff that's supposedly "at home" or supposedly taking place at a different time than before.

      Isn't it interesting that they didn't show the golf event Scott attended - the actual reason he didn't attend TIFF.

      Most of what we see is so staged and so starved of content it appears as if it took very little out of their day, and that includes the skating. Everything is glued together by the talking heads encouraging us to read into the very little we see of anything in the supposed "field" (skating, competition, down time).

      The real damage to their child is the reality show itself. Everything in it. And the liars her parents have shown themselves to be. Her existence obliterated and she's going to have to choke it down as her parents' "protecting" her - which - GOOD LUCK SCOTT AND TESSA.

      The only hope that child has is if she inherits the brains of her paents. Then she might buy it. OTOH if she inherits their lack of brains along with their combined insecurities and along with their ability to make mountains out of molehills, then I wish LM good luck.

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    12. I mean - isn't it a little odd that the both times we've seen Cassandra they're on the freaking couch with stiff, blank eyes? Not making a meal, eating a meal, talking about their day, miming the activity of being at home. Even lovebirds do stuff like order in take-out and eat it, actually have a CONVERSATION about how the week went, mention friends, show a funny email or voice mail or text, feed the freaking dog, pick-up food for the weekend, go see a movie, go out to dinner.

      NOPE. The couch. Just sit on it and run a caption - here's Scott and his gf.


      How much real time do we think that took? They prepped the space (meaning, depersonalized it) - blanked out the windows, removed anything indicative of someone's individual taste or life, stuck the two of them on the couch and that was IT. Her brother isn't seen either - shouldn't he be hanging out?

      No. Because this is scripted. They set it up, the two of them sit down on the couch, they enact something that says "relationship" (holding hands, a smooch) and don't say anything.

      Then, keep the camera set up as it is, change your clothes, change the lighting, sit down again and pretend to watch television and stick your foot in his lap.

      This is a the work of less than a day. Their "real lives" are absolutely sterile.

      I am 99.9 percent sure that's not Tessa's actual house. Her actual home has a child in it and signs of actual life. It actually wouldn't surprise me if it were a studio, just because of the windows behind her (they've got a white out screen on the window or did something to it in post-production - but the window is blown out. Again, we can't LOCATE anything, there is zero that is personal anywhere. It's all generic/sterile. It's intentional. Using this strategy they can get what we're meant to believe is a bunch of different days shot in one day).

      They NEVER say directly that what we're seeing is the day we're lead to believe it is. What we HEAR is Scott talking about having a gf, accompanied by visuals. The connection is IMPLIED and we're meant to assume, but it's not said. Did Scott say "I'm going home to my girlfriend this weekend while Tessa's at TIFF?" I think he said something about how going home is important or spending time in London and with Cassandra is important.

      NOT THE SAME THING. This is not their lives. Any idiot can look at the "home" shit and see it's a "dramatization" - an "illustration." - not what they're actually doing. It's not even pretending to be anything other than a re-enactment, except that they're not re-enacting anything that actually happens.

      Delete
    13. Something else to note how sterile and empty this is - Look at TIFF. That shit was as boring as Scott is in Romancing the Couch. Tessa giggled like a crazy lady, P. Chiddy gamely supplied himself as a foil and Jian Ghameshi showed up to show off his freshly exfoliated face, his hair product, and his "I'm in media" scarf wrap. The camera gets close and blurs out what's around them. And that was it for TIFF. That, too, played like a true crime re-enactment when the real action was taking place in the talking head.

      Did we see Tessa getting ready for TIFF? Nope. Did we see at least some of the hair, make-up, other clothing options, checking it out? You know, the sort of thing that happened all the time on "Newlyweds" and "The Osbournes"? Did we see her get a manicure/pedicure? THAT stuff? Nope. That stuff might be fun for viewers. Of course we didn't see it. I thought the cameras were following them in their normal routine - how come they didn't show that stuff?

      This entire program is nothing but an illustration of their own obsession with their relationship as a commodity. It's another way to try and commodify the chemistry without acknowledging reality. There is nothing more to this show. It's not about Olympian skaters. It's not about THEIR relationship. It's about their own obsession with the street value of their relationship.

      Delete
    14. Well Weaver/Poje just tweeted a picture of them in tonight's episode having dinner. Oddly enough in the picture you can't tell if it's Tessa that's having dinner with them or Hilborn. And naturally the seating arrangement is funny...and folks this is a bit hilarious because in all the years that WP have been in Detroit - I don't think we have ever seen them tweet about VM...lol...kaitlyn/andrew/patrick are good people...

      Delete
    15. Yayyyyyy. Now audiences get to watch both couples unconvincingly lie about being platonic.

      Delete
    16. I think it is Tessa sitting with Scott and W/P because *naturally* Cassandra would be sitting practically in Scott's lap.

      The way the two couples are split up in the seating arrangement (rolleyes - so contrived) makes me expect stilted conversation and laughter about how everyone thinks they're couples but they are all oh-so-platonic. W/P have never mocked the fans but with this show egging them on they just might sink to VM's levels tonight.

      Delete
    17. W/P are the less senior of the two. It would be rude to encroach on V/M's territory. Once V/M retire, W/P can start a balls out sham to rival V/M's.

      Delete
    18. I am hoping that the dinner conversation would be more oriented towards the pressure of making the Olymoics rather than the are they/are they not dating blah blah blah...or perhaps reminiscing about the worst costumes ever...lol..or memories at the Kitchener Waterloo Skating club...

      Delete
    19. "...or perhaps reminiscing about the worst costumes ever...lol..or memories at the Kitchener Waterloo Skating club..."

      Cue the director in the background. "Don't you go guys off script, damn it! You can only talk about how you're all platonic and not actually married with a child or living together as a couple. And Tessa, lean in a bit more toward Andrew. Scott, pretend to be annoyed."

      Delete
    20. Go off script, that is...

      Delete
    21. "Isn't it crazy how everyone thinks we're couples? Even though we aren't? But they want us to be? Are you going to eat that last sushi roll? I mean, it's okay. I understand. The fans want us to be together. You're not gonna eat it? Can I have it then? We always feel so much pressure when fans ask us about it, we try to let them down easy. We don't want to upset them or make them look like fools or anything. Is there anymore saki? We ordered some, didn't we?"

      Delete
    22. I don't know what the ratings are but they're not very likeable in this reality show. It's more than the disconnect between the pretty posters and the bait about chemistry and the actual content.

      Let's pretend they ARE platonic. Let's just pretend that. BUT, because they're Olympic champions, and popular, and because Tessa is beautiful and they're a photogenic duo, the W network decided to do a "reality show".

      And the content of the reality show is the guy is a pathetic jackass and the girl is fucking crazy and stupid, and they spend most of the time talking about how she feels rejected/judged by him and he spends most of the time sliding in "asides" about what a stud he is, what a grown man.

      WHY MAKE THIS SHOW?

      That's just the thing. It's all bait, nothing else. It's like - come see Scott and Tessa - be completely boring, and tell us how while there's good will on both sides it's a lot of hard work, disappointment and struggle to stay on the same page.

      The show refuses to even use chemistry as friends. Pretend it's true. Why would they make a reality show about these people?

      oc

      Delete
    23. Oh and p.s., apparently episode 3 focuses on some kind of injury with Scott.

      So there you go with the skating part of this reality show.

      Let's sum things up so far:

      Tessa's a hot mess.
      Scott's injured.
      They struggle to get along.
      They don't really have chemistry.
      Their own Skate Canada officers aren't all that impressed with their programs
      Tessa expects to be second

      oc

      Delete
    24. "WHY MAKE THIS SHOW?

      That's just the thing. It's all bait, nothing else. It's like - come see Scott and Tessa - be completely boring, and tell us how while there's good will on both sides it's a lot of hard work, disappointment and struggle to stay on the same page.

      The show refuses to even use chemistry as friends. Pretend it's true. Why would they make a reality show about these people?"

      THIS. Even if it were true, this show would be a mess. These versions of Tessa and Scott are not role models, they're not inspirational or inspiring, and they are not appealing.

      Delete
    25. Well talk about sabotoging your image. Anyone who thought that this "reality" series would be a celebration of their skating and their hard work, talent and how coachable they are to push their sport and respect for each other be shown - well forget it...here comes Scott the asshole...

      Why make this show? Really?

      Delete
    26. I think the only thing left to do is to have the Moirs imply that they dislike Tessa and the Virtues and vice-versa....

      Delete
    27. They're not likeable. Maybe on some level they thought all this trash would make them 'relatable'. We're not idols! We're not the princess and the prince with the magical talent! We're messy and we struggle!

      But it's so fucking phony. Part of the problem is all they fucking do is talk about themselves. They never talk about another damn thing. Even when Tessa talked about the fd, she called it "vintage Virtue and Moir." what does that mean? Nobody says. We hear nothing about their skating - not the technique - the skating - what they do, what they've done, what they're known for. All we hear is bullshit.

      The point of a reality show, even though they're all heightened, distorted, selective (as opposed to straight up total fiction which is what we have here) - is for us to get that fly on the wall experience. A la the Osbournes and Newlyweds and similar. Scott and Tessa don't give the audience a chance to freaking breathe. The voice overs are constant. They constantly tell us about themselves. Seriously, in real life they don't talk about anything but themselves? And what they tell is this shit? Dude, your two condom Sochi trip isn't interesting. And I don't give a shit what image you pretend to think you have. Get over yourself. Tessa, your constantly telling us how much you fucking suck isn't interesting either. I don't care about your 24/7 fucking paranoia because per this show I'm not told ANYTHING ELSE about you so why should I care? It's not dramatic either, it's pathetic.

      Pretend we buy into it. Are we supposed to root for them to get together? It's gross. These two people are GROSS together. He's an asshole and she's self-obsessed. How exciting if they kiss!

      No, it would be creepy and icky because these are two creepy and icky people.

      Everything circles back to them. Is there a moment of them reacting to anything that's not each other or demonstrating how separate they are? No wonder their brains are freaking shriveled. Nothing is getting in but what they've already exhaled. They literally talk about NOTHING ELSE. It's like when Biden said all Guiliani ever says is "a noun, a verb, an 9/11." It was hilarious because it was dead on. All Scott and Tessa say is a noun a verb, and "us". Shut UP.

      Jesus with this.

      oc

      Delete
    28. Naturally Finlandia Trophy did not occur....

      Delete
    29. Yup. Wnetwork signed a contract with Cassandra, not just Tessa and Scott. She's part of the deal to appear in every show.

      I can't believe people are taking any of this seriously. Oooo, they fought...I hope they make up. Sob!
      (Giant Rolleyes)

      Delete
    30. The stupidity is off the charts with this show. We know the reasons they've given publicly for doing it are bullshit: about wanting to have a televised record of their journey to the Olympics and blah, blah. Little to nothing they're showing is the real them. I expected that going into the show because this is them and they're the world's biggest cowards who love to fuck with the public and then turn around and talk about how sincere they're being and what not.

      What blows my mind is the fake narrative they've constructed. I thought, all right, they're going to keep up their platonic, separate personal life bullshit lies. But maybe we'll see some semi-interesting skating-related things here and there. But...nope.

      It's natural for a reality show to fabricate dramatic moments for its subjects or to center its narrative on a dramatic premise. This show can't even get that right! Instead, most of the time is spent on trying to knock viewers over the head with the message that V/M are platonic in the most unconvincing and laughable way imaginable, that Scott is a very tempermental, uninteresting asshole with a mostly mute fake girlfriend who likes to sit around on couches in sterile rooms after he's experienced some "tension-filled" moment with Tessa, who is a neurotic, whiny as hell, lump of a person who can't stop talking about how she's not worth a damn. Even the skating stuff is caricatured within an inch of its life. If anyone still believes that Marina Zueva isn't in this every step of the way with V/M and always has been...that bridge with blocked access lanes is still available for purchase.

      I'm guessing all of connection "problems" will be magically resolved by the last episode so the five viewers who are still tuning in can rejoice that V/M have found the thing they somehow lost in front of the reality show cameras only. Too bad that won't be the case, though. Because what they've lost is their damn minds, not their connection.

      Delete
    31. Anon at 8:37 pm -the fake narrative is ridiculous...it makes Jersey Shore believable...and Scott / Patrick - Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble would like royalties..and seriously what the hell happened to the skating...

      Delete
    32. I'm not sure what angle W network is trying to take the show? With all the focus on relationships, it's like they want the viewer to hope that Tessa and Scott end up together, but how is that supposed to happen in the remaining episodes? And if it doesn't happen, then what is the point of focusing so much on the relationship?

      Delete
  10. Grand Prix Final Free Dance - vs Pechalat/Bourzat
    D/W
    http://youtu.be/IcMdyO7P034
    V/M
    http://youtu.be/36NyIw4-Reg

    I don't dislike P/B's program, but after compiling the stats, I've realized it has an unacceptable amount of stationary time, IMO. That being said, while P/B skate for 14 less seconds, they still spend 4 seconds more in dance holds than D/W. Obviously, D/W have since added to their stationary time with the new spin entrance, and I hope that P/B make some changes before Sochi to lessen theirs.

    (I will, of course, be comparing performances from Nats before long.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P.S. - I think the next post is Nationals (Canadian and U.S.) lifts and twizzles, simply because it's so outrageous.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, I agree with your statement above that lifts are perhaps the most obscene of the current scoring issues (because D/W have started getting docked for their twizzles at least). It's something that really stood out to me in making the P/B ones too - there's a handstand lift, and there's the first curve lift where Nathalie is lying across Fabian's shoulders. But of course for less time than Meryl, that makes it easier you know!

      Oh, and in terms of lifts from Nationals, it's from last year, but you might want to use it. I had forgotten about this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhRqPAUQjsE&feature=youtu.be&t=3m30s

      Delete
    3. Thank you.

      I've started with the gifs and will try to put the post up tomorrow.

      oc

      Delete
    4. thanks for the videos. Still, PB are ten times the skaters DW are. and they can dance. DW fill so much of their programs with hopping and dragging, so even when they are skating they are not really skating. and DW really don't dance. Every movement looks the same and the music for their programs is interchangeable.

      Delete
    5. Oh, absolutely. The stats are just stats, and I think P/B clearly outskated and outdanced D/W here. The other thing that struck me, besides the lifts, was the superior speed P/B had doing their more complex transitions. V/M aren't the only team to be outraged for, that's for certain.

      Delete
  11. The D/W thread is all upset about Rosie's article, and claiming that if D/W don't win in Sochi,it will be a crime.

    If they do win, that will be the biggest crime against all that is good and holy in whatever integrity the *sport* of ice dance has left.

    http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?90141-Davis-amp-White-19-Two-Twirly-Twizzles&p=4117349&viewfull=1#post4117349

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol i hope they do lose it would be so hilarious

      Delete
    2. DEAD at the DW uber who responded to the Obama white house comment by listing three new things DW have done in recent years. THREE!

      Delete
    3. LMAO ONLY 3?? rosie's article made me realize d/w whining about their lose to v/m in 2009 is basically the foundation of their senior success. god d/w are so privilege and spoiled

      Delete
    4. of course they're privileged and spoiled. they are the usfsa babies after all

      Delete
    5. That DW have been allowed to win so much with WR scores is the real crime. I want those fans to tell me why DW deserve to be beating the Shibs, PB, CL, WP, etc. let alone VM. What is it that they do that is so superior or even on par with other top teams?

      Delete
  12. So, the Minister of Sport is now tweeting about the reality show. Seriously, how many public figures are being duped, and how many are joining in the fun of hoaxing fellow Canadians?

    https://twitter.com/BalGosal/status/423848255688941568

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmm don't worry about this yo-yo. His job is to promote Canadian athletes. My take is if he's tweeting about it - someone told him to...I'm guessing that the second episode ratings tanked due to the gotcha moment in the first episode and let's face it - a lot of skating fans who might watch the show - were watching nationals last week...

      Delete
  13. On a positive note - in terms of actual skating - Cappellini/Lanotte won Euros over I/K. Elena messed up the twizzles in the FD...meantime the English pair won bronze and S/Z of Russia finished ahead of R/T. Its starting to look like Olympic bronze will be a fight between P/B, C/L and W/P. But folks I have to give it to the Euro judges - it seems that the inflation was reasonable - unlike some National scores...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But Coomes and Buckland? They are the Euro version of DW. How did they ever get on a podium?

      Delete
    2. well we you dont have PB and BS competing - then factor in that RT didn't perform well..voila...

      Delete
    3. There were several couples at Euros who had beaten C/B at Worlds... Zhiganshina/Gaszi, Riazanova/Tkachenko, Carron/Jones... also the Ukranians, Lithuanians, Azerbaijanis, and second Italians beat them in the FD at Worlds. Also, Sinitsina/Zhiganshin competing in their first Euros are former Junior World Champions and GP bronze medalists.

      Not saying all those teams should have deserved to beat C/B at Euros - some skated badly - just that it seems like there are tons of teams scoring around the same as C/B, so bronze wasn't exactly automatic with P/B and B/S out. It's surprising - or not - that they went with a team with absolutely zero skating skills in their program. Really not the tradition for British ice dance set by T/D, that's for sure...

      Delete
    4. Thanks for the input anon at 10:50 am...was wondering if Sphilband was there for Euros...

      Delete
    5. anon@10:50AM. Yes, it's not the tradition for British ice dance as set by Torvill and Dean. But T/D were not the one to build Coomes/Buckland from the ground up. I am actually wondering why British ice dancing (and British skating in general) sort of fell by the wayside. Between T/D's retirement and the ascension of the Kerrs, the only competing Brit skater I remembered was Steven Cousins, and that's because of Stars On Ice.

      Delete
    6. VM really were quite lucky that they got such good basics when they were young. When they came to Canton, they had a really solid foundation to build upon. For a man who was originally trained in the basics of the Natalia 'soft knees' Dubova camp, Platov must have been shaking his head when he was first asked to coach the British teams. I think he is doing the best he could with what he's given.

      Delete
  14. I'll get thrown rocks for this but.. at this point, I ALMOST want them to go back to last years FD. Just a train of thought. I still think this years FD is beautiful. But I know it's too late for anything now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon at 6:03 pm - no rocks being thrown, lol..hell if Ashley Wagner and B/S are going back to older programs for the Olympics it just proves that sometimes you just need to go back to old formula...I don't think that's the case with VM...although VM's Carmen is one to remember - I think that the Season's FD is underappreciated - especially since apparently TV doesn't do it justice..

      Delete
  15. Did you read Platov's recent interview? So figure skating should just be about the wow factor then? I can't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seriously...and he accused V/M of having the same style as four years ago?

      This coming from a former skating who really had no "Wow" programs that were memorable and a partner who was a hot mess (albeit in a different way from Tessa).

      Delete
    2. I must admit, I was disappointed with his remarks. Seemed as if he's bought into the DW hype. When I read about the 'same style', I thought, did he sleep through Latin, Funny Face and Carmen?

      Seasons really is a gorgeous, subtle FD--too subtle for some people, perhaps. VM need to perform it the way they did at GPF--I wasn't totally feeling it at earlier outings, but at GPF it just *sang*.

      Delete
    3. He's a two time Olympic gold medalist...

      It's very sad to see this because Platov had been a HUGE supporter of Tessa and Scott since juniors. Even before Vancouver he predicted they'd be the next team to win double golds, and he raved about them in several interviews, calling Mahler one of the all time great programs.

      It's frustrating how V&M seem to have turned everyone against them. And he's hardly the only person to say Seasons is similar to Mahler, including Tessa herself.

      If there's any political bent to his statement it would be that he coaches Coomes/Buckland whose style is more similar to D&W, but still, considering he's not coaching any direct rivals, it is just incredibly disappointing that he's saying that because he used to truly appreciate his skills... pretty much everyone who has raved about V&M in the past and thought Carmen should have won is now saying they suck...

      Delete
    4. 8:03, I don't agree with him that V/M's style has stayed the same. Though IMO I do think he and Grishuk had at least one memorable program (Libertango). But yes, Pasha was a total hot mess.

      Delete
    5. Seasons is over most people's head because it is the purest FD out there...there's no hit-you-over the head gimmicks and bombastic flourishes like Shez.

      But it needs to be skated clean like at GPF in order to have the full impact, otherwise, the mistakes are glaring, because there is no place to hide.

      Delete
    6. I can't even blame Platov, VM are trying everything to drive their chances against the wall.
      So far the show gave us : Scott doesn't bother to practice because he needs to get laid; VM have no real connection and can't really stand each other either; Tessa is a mess and not fit to handle the pressure of competition, they struggle with lifts ( it's implied Tessa is simply too fat to be lifted ... don't get me started on that one ) and on the latest episode Scott got injured.
      Just what judges love to hear before the Olympics.
      They gave the gold away and probably have to be grateful to get bronze.

      Delete
    7. Platov is a very pure skater, so he of all people should appreciate Seasons.

      I kind of agree with 8:14. VM are making themselves easy to hate. And presumably most of these people know they are hiding a child and think they're complete weirdos.

      Delete
    8. I don't think it's political in that C/B's style seems more like DW's, @8:10. I think he still appreciates VM's skills, but has had his head turned by the DW hype. ISU keeps rewarding DW indiscriminately, media keeps trumpeting DW 'superiority', people begin to mindlessly echo such sentiments. This is a reason why I'm sad with his interview. Maybe he was expecting something as (overtly) explosive as Carmen in Olympic year.

      Delete
    9. Episode recap

      http://www.ivillage.ca/entertainment/tv/tessa-scott-episode-3-recap-anxiety-arguments-injury-patrick-chan

      Now even their own show sells the narrative that VM struggle and DW never make mistakes...

      Delete
    10. And he seems to have bought into the notion that because D/W are "clean" at every outing, that's what matters, never mind what they are doing is crude, basic and recycled. V/M take risks in all their programs, and sometimes that risk results in mistakes, but no risk, no reward.

      This "sport" is a fucking joke. If D/W "win" gold in Sochi, it will be because they mounted a slick PR campaign, and not because of their skating. And if V/M lose the gold, it won't be because of their skating, it will purely be because of politics.

      Lose-lose situation all-round.

      Delete
    11. man it's really obvious that d/w's pr machine is super effective. they even tricked platov who love v/m.

      i agree with your sentiments about Seasons. it is subtle, but it puts v/m's superior skating skills on display. they just have to skate it clean and with emotion for it to have impact.

      Delete
    12. Nobody's tricked anybody. Everybody is just getting on board, politically. Platov has been persuaded to cooperate with the season's narrative.

      It's all geared to making DW's gold acceptable under whatever makes it easiest to swallow, and then the sport will move on and starting next season nobody who skates like DW will get anywhere near the podium. This is a one-off crime they're executing. As it's "only" VM who get screwed in the deal, it seems nobody has that much of an objection. They figure their own skaters who skate will be rewarded per CoP.

      Delete
    13. Back in 2011, when VM first debuted the Latin (and going head to head with DW's tango) I was honestly looking forward to ice dance in Sochi -- singles and pairs were not interesting anymore. Now, I am debating whether to watch it live on TV, read the play by play online, or just do something else (and check results later). I don't think I am ready for VM getting silver whether they skate clean or not.

      Delete
    14. Anon at 11:31 am - I am usually a big sports fan. To be honest - I don't think I will be watching much off the Winter Olympic Games. With regards to figure skating - I don't think I'll be watching it live. It will be too nerve wracking and let's face it - I don't want to hear the commentators crap - judging by the GPF and Nationals...Will I be disappointed if VM get silver - no - if that's what they deserve. What will upset me is to see DW win gold if they don't skate clean or skate big. I also think we will see how all this plays out with the bronze medal.
      In the end I am hoping that in each discipline - we see great skating.

      Delete
    15. 8:10 AM maybe USFSA/russian fed paid him to say that. that or he wants to be the only ice dancer to win gold medals back 2 back.

      Delete
    16. Platov is not jealous that someone might win 2 golds.

      March 18, 2008
      - In your opinion, can anyone in the near future repeat your achievement with Oksana - two gold medals in ice dancing at the Olympics?
      -It’s possible. There are interesting young pairs. For example, the Canadians
      Virtue & Moir. Their ability to go from juniors to 6th at seniors is
      impressive! Moir, in my opinion, is a real find, a true talent, quite unique. He
      has a gift to make each movement beautiful. The coach does not have to invent
      anything – everything is done by nature. The only thing is not to spoil it… Do you know how you can tell how a pair will advance? If it starts in the 20s at
      seniors, its limit is 6th at the finish of the career. In the best case
      scenario – podium. If a team starts at 6th right away, it’s clear there is
      potential and talent and that the team will go a long way.

      May 27, 2011
      Now a coach, Platov has been a huge fan of the Canadians since seeing them at the 2005 world junior championships and telling friends they'd be Olympic champions one day.

      “To stay another four years, that's when you're learning who you really are,” said Platov. “Can you take the pressure? Everyone knows right now they're the best and everyone's looking at them. So what do they do? What kind of program? What kind of costumes?

      “It's much easier to climb on the top of Everest or any mountain. It's very hard to hold that position, because everybody wants that place. It will be great if they stay another four years until Sochi. Then they will be recognizable as super champions.”

      Delete
    17. anon@12PM, I don't think Platov is at all threatened by VM possibly matching his and Grishuk's 2 Olympic medals. He doesn't strike me as that kind of guy. I'm with OC, who commented farther down this page that it's probably EP jumping on the narrative.

      Delete
    18. Re: the episode recap.

      So Chiddy DOES has a girlfriend in this one? Way to keep the script consistent.

      Delete
  16. Well now that all the competitions are done (with exception of 4CCs) - let the mud-slinging start....I don't expect any interviews from VM, Skate Canada or Zoueva on their behalf...It's also interesting that no one is talking about the short dances...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very good point about the SD.

      Delete
    2. What specifically about the SDs?

      Delete
    3. This is 9:02, I don't know what 8:41 meant but if everyone is saying how V&M reverted to form in the FD and D&W's is more exciting and innovative (rofl), how come nobody is bringing up that V&M have a better SD, that they capture the Finnstep better, that they are really dancing to the proscribed rhythm and D&W are just doing Die Fledermaus again?

      Delete
    4. The fact that they are skating a waltz needs to make the rounds...maybe Rosie can make herself useful?

      Delete
    5. Wow, you're right. No one is bringing up what a fantastic SD V/M have, probably the best of the lot. At least not anymore.

      Delete
    6. Even Petri Kokko tweeted that V&M's SD made its founders proud. If such a spontaneous statement of appreciation for D&W ever occurred (which it never would), ice network would have published a huge article about it, it would have been retweeted by USFS, IN, Meryl, Charlie, P&G, Kellogs, NBC... and NBC would have repeated it ad nauseum during commentary, if not actually getting him to appear on camera in a fluff piece about how great they are.

      Delete
    7. This is anon at 8:41 - thanks anon at 9:12 am - for describing exactly what i meant.. If I had the time and knowledge - the only thing that would help VM at this point is to put a youtube video of all their different lifts, twizzles and step sequences done over this quad and just say - versatility, risk, confidence and pure skating, ALL EDGEWORK...no gimmicks required...two bodies skating as one and NOT two separate entities, tugging, skipping, hopping and not even power stroking...

      Delete
    8. when i first saw d/w's my fair lady, I thought it was an all new low in blandness. v/m should have made more of a buzz about their sd. it's superior in every way.

      but you know since scheherazade has the WOW factor people like

      Delete
    9. anon@9:24, if I were on VM's PR team, I would have been all over Petri Kokko's tweet like white on rice. Canadian media could have done a follow-up on that -- remember the noise about Zoueva/Shpilband bringing down Tango Romantica's creator to Canton? V/M *slayed* with that CD in Vancouver, but the consultation with the TR's original choreographer spelled out how serious, how legitimate they were. How Team Canton went the extra mile to make sure they got the steps and character down right. Even if Rahkamo/Kokko might have responded with a more 'neutral' tone, I can't imagine that they wouldn't have had good words about VM in general. Alas, VM and Canada dropped the ball.

      Delete
  17. OC, what are your thoughts on Platov's latest interview? I find it interesting that he says this right when his own team, DW doppelgangers Coomes/Buckland medal at Euros (WTF?). He can show that not ice dance is the new ice dancing.

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    1. *not ice dancing is the new ice dancing

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    2. I haven't read it but obviously, this is not his independent opinion but him climbing on board this season's narrative. Everybody hasn't suddenly become stupid and forgotten what they know about quality skating, and been manipulated into thinking bullshit. This is politics. There's a participant in the comments who on occasion reminds that in 30 years they haven't seen a hustle like this in figure skating, and I agree. There is NO dissent, except for what we see on the ice. What accounts for it. People aren't dumb, Platov isn't dumb. So what else can it be.

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    3. It does let us know it's a done deal in Sochi, although the GPF pretty much said it. Do we know WHY it's a done deal? We don't. Just that all this noise prior to the Olympics is aimed towards pre-emptively justifying what's already set to happen, and creating a storyline for it - and it has to be a non-skating, performance based storyline.


      How Scher has the "wow" factor is beyond me but obviously the narrative requires non-objective criteria. There can be nothing that's actually verifiable.

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    4. Not OC here, but Platov himself said in a previous interview, just after the Euros SD, that his team's goal was to skate the best they possibly could (like in practices). My personal takeaway was that he knows a number of other Euro teams are superior to C/B, and that many factors can be at play in competing, such as injury/lost training time (such as Nick Buckland's heart condition/surgery), others' mistakes, and the absence of 2 top Euro teams. I think he knows his team got lucky even while acknowledging C/B's hard work.

      As for C/B medaling... well, yes, a bit of wtf. They did have great energy/attack and speed (though at the expense of skating skills), sold their (quite open) program well, went mostly clean, got a great crowd response. I think they also benefited from skating in the last group and from other's mistakes. As for their 'acrobatic' lifts, I think that they were only taking advantage of (a) their size/height difference and (b) the current system's being skewed very favorably towards lifts (and not enough emphasis on the good skating). Point A -- work with what you have; point B -- I would blame the system/judging first.

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    5. I agree they have good lifts but I actually think C/B are rather slow. They seem to come to a screeching halt after each element, and their footwork sequences were a real fight.

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    6. OC, I also don't get Scheherazade's 'wow' factor -- people's personal preference, I guess. And you're right that Platov wasn't born yesterday. The ISU rewards subpar 'skating' and downplays the qualities that are the hallmarks of true ice dancing -- he's aware which way the wind is blowing.

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    7. I found his comment about Memorial Requiem not having the 'wow' until later in the season a bit amusing, because I that's how I honestly felt about Seasons, which really gelled together for me at the GPF. On the other hand, I never thought MR was great; it had some wonderful moments, but I liked G/P's Arabian Passion more.

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    8. Coomes/Buckland don't flow at ALL! They skip and hop like D/W do but their transitions don't even attempt to show skating skills. How they managed to beat the 2 Russian teams for bronze is beyond me...

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    9. The 2 Russian teams made mistakes..? I don't know, judging has been dodgy all season. Also, with the sword of Damocles (Olys) hanging over the skaters' heads, some crumbled under the pressure...

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