Musings on my neverending quest for sugar

Trip to LA! (part II - Staples Center)

Staples Center is a really nice arena, and the plethora of ushers were always willing to help out. My seat was in the corner, near the long side across from the stage, so I was happy that nothing would be blocking my view of the ice. Apparently some people were unlucky and had the ginormous Hyundai SUV (sitting at the short end just off the ice) right in their faces.

The show was called the 2005 Tribute to the Movies on Ice, and it was going to be taped for TV and aired on Oscar afternoon on NBC. In case anyone cares, the cast included Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi, Elvis Stojko, Brian Orser, Yuka Sato, Jason Dungjen, Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur, Caryn Kadavy, Rosalynn Sumners, and Shae-Lynn Bourne (sans Victor Kraatz). Performers were Michael Bolton (who I didn't really care for), Franc D'Ambrosio (who I really wanted to see/hear again), and Kimberly Locke (who I didn't know was going to be there so that was a nice surprise).

This was my first time attending a taped show, and it felt like a rehearsal, due to all of the random camera takes pretending there were people watching on TV ("Welcome back to Staples Center..." "Now, let's talk about the Best Picture nominees!") and the skater's/announcer's/singer's (haha) retakes at the end. Since this was going to be an Oscar fest, in accordance, they skated to all of the Best Song nominees and then some. For the record, I think the song for Motorcycle Diaries should win. As much as I love Josh Groban, that "Believe" song does absolutely nothing for him. I love Phantom of the Opera as well, but "Learn to be Lonely"...blah.

So, I realize that only hardcore skating fans will care about who did every jump, what they were, and what the music for each performance was, so I'll just get down and dirty with the important stuff:

• Highlight(s):
  1. Brian Boitano's Music of the Night, performed live with San Francisco stage Phantom Franc D'Ambrosio. They had to retake the number (more on that later), but still! I certainly wasn't complaining! I know that a lot of skating fans were hoping that Brian would bring this program back, and hopefully they'll all get to see it if it doesn't get cut. What a gorgeous number.
     
  2. Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen's Lovers program from House of Flying Daggers. First, I have to find out who sings this. Second, I love Yuka and her classical numbers, so this was pretty much of a given. Beautiful program!
  
  
• Hardest jump: Brian Boitano's beauty of a tano triple lutz. (The triple lutz is the second hardest triple jump, after the axel, and he does it with his left arm over his head, which usually causes serious injury upon landing when attempted by other skaters, LOL.)
  
• Hardest jump by a lady:Yuka Sato's triple loop. I was expecting Kristi to attempt a triple lutz, but she didn't do anything harder than a triple toe loop. *shrug*
  
• Biggest reception: Elvis, I think. Brian was probably a close second. Everyone was the recepient of a cheering match between the three sides of the arena when taking their bows though, LOL
  
• Biggest "oops" of the night by a skater: Roca and Sur's costumes getting stuck together right before their ending pose. They tripped and fell in their other number too, so Roca and Sur get my "Oops" award for the show here.
  
• Biggest "oops" of the night by a non-skater: Announcer Dan Hicks talking about sponsor Hyundai's committment to the "fight against kids with cancer." I dunno if anyone else caught that slip, but I certainly did, LOL...

Okay, with that done, here are my random notes:

• Brian Boitano is soooo much more impressive live than on TV. He bores me to death on TV. But in person, his speed and power and line really really shows. I'm so glad I got to see him skate live. He was my favorite skater here, surprisingly. In the same vein, people who've been to live competitions say that one needs to see Jeff Buttle skate live to truly appreciate him as well. Oh, poo. Yet another thing on my agenda...
  
• Love Brian Orser's delayed single axels. They're huge and airy and nobody appreaciated them but me! (When you watch the broadcast and if you hear someone screaming after he lands one, that's me, LOL.) He did a number of backflips, including one in the retake cause we were waiting for the cameras to get set up and Lea Ann Miller (the choreographer) was on the mike and had him do one for us just for the heck of it, LOL. Then, during the actual retake, he landed the triple toe and skated riiiight up until the point where he did the backflip...and he didn't do it, LOL. He held his hands up as if to say, "Gotcha!" and the audience went, "Aww.." He was one of the slowest skaters there, which was kinda surprising, but I love his classical style anyway.
  
• Elvis relates to the audience tremendously, probably better than anyone there. Still, his skating itself doesn't interest me. The woman in front of me (who was probably there to see Franc as well, since she was wearing a Phantom of the Opera shirt) was jumping up and down in her seat in excitement everytime he took the ice!
  
• Kristi redid her group program with Brian O, Jason, and Gorsha. Not sure why, but it's a nice program as well so I wasn't complaining, LOL. I've always liked watching her skate, and she's one of the few female skaters who can successfully pull off sassy numbers.
  
• Poor Caryn Kadavy. I had never seen her (or Rosalynn) skate, so it was really nice to witness old-school grace and technique. But she couldn't land a double axel! She must have done it at least 3 times in the retake, and when she popped it, she would put her head in her hands in light-hearted embarrassment. Several members of the audience were encouraging her, so that was cute. Needless to the say, when she did land it, everyone cheered. :)
  
• Michael Bolton? Absolutely unmemorable, LOL.
  
• Kimberly Locke has a serious set of pipes. Amazing singer.
  
• Poor Franc D'Ambrosio. He was the only singer to have to redo his number, which really surprised me since he's used to singing live - he holds the title for longest-running stage Phantom in the world AND he was doing "Music of the Night." However, he was off on the timing with the tape, which was a weak elevator-music version of the original orchestration. If I had to perform with a tape that banal, I'd mess up too. His voice also cracked on the high A. ("BEEEEEE*iiiee*") Poor guy. I expected him to redo the song, and he did. Wasn't complaining though - he has a gorgeous, flowing, powerful, haunting voice. (He held the long notes forever!) IMHO it isn't really suited for anything but the Phantom role, since it's on the nasal side (especially in his low register) and he pronounces his vowels strangely. But it really suits Phantom quite well. Of course, I may be biased since he's the only stage Phantom I've seen and I loved him in it. :)

After all of that, it was pretty late and you know the rest. I experienced a feeling of surreal existence on the way back, which probably stems from my being cold, starved, exhausted, and not at home when I really should have been home, LOL. I should organize an overnight stay downtown the next time I do one of these crazy adventures..

posted by sugarfiend @ 2:07 PM