05.06.2010 食わず嫌い：高橋大輔 vs. 本橋麻里

スケートのシーズン最中だということで、高橋大輔選手がゲストとして出た「食わず嫌い」！（グランプリファイナルと全日本選手権、悔しかったですね、、、）

今回の対決は五輪テーマでした。試食が始まる前に高橋選手がバンクーバーの銀メダルと世界選手権の金メダルを見せました。


高橋選手の大好物はスパゲッティカルボナーラ、肉じゃが、サバの味噌煮、とピータンでした。一方、バンクーバーカーリング代表本橋麻里選手の大好物はタコのマリネ、ハマチのにぎり、とろろそば、とかぼちゃ団子でした。

高橋選手が最初に食べたのは肉じゃがで、おばあさんの味だと言ってました。肉じゃがは定番ですよね〜。高橋選手は基本的薄味が好きだと言ってました。


ちなみに本橋選手が通っていた北海道にある常呂高校からカーリングのオリンピック選手は８人か９人出ているらしいです。田舎で人口が少ないのに、凄いですね！

本橋選手が最初に試食したのはタコのマリネでした。出身地が漁師町なので、魚介類を沢山食べて育ったと説明してました。


実は本橋選手はまだ２３歳です。２４歳の高橋選手は本橋選手が年上だと思っていて、私もそう思っていました。堂々としている感じですかね？本人はあまりお酒を飲まないと言ってましたが、高橋選手は結構飲めると聞いたと言ってました。wwしかし、基本は試合中は飲まないので、２人の話が合っているかもしれません。^_^ 高橋選手はお酒が好きで、特にハマっているのは冷酒だと語っていました。お酒にカロリーがあるので、飲みたい時はご飯を抑えていると説明してました。お酒よりご飯を我慢出来るとは、、、

高橋選手が次に食べたのはカルボナーラでした。意外にクリームが凄く好きらしいです。


常に体重管理をしているスケート選手である上、膝の怪我をしたので特に体重を気にしているらしいです。体が良い調子でちゃんと着地するのが重要なので、治療し終わってジャンプして良いと言われた時、怖くて一回転も跳べなかったと言ってました。その状態から五輪で銀メダルとは本当に凄いですね。

ここでとんねるずの味が出て来ました。

「え？回転じゃないんだ、審査方法、、、あれあれあれ？どれだけ感じ出すか、ポマードが大事見たいになって来たの、今回？」
高橋選手は口開けて見てました、、、ww

本橋選手が二番目に食べたのはかぼちゃ団子でした。これは北海道にある芋団子の別バージョンらしくて、かぼちゃを片栗粉で固めたものです。高橋選手の肉じゃがのように、これは本橋選手のおばあさんの味だと言ってました。


高橋選手のタイプは「よくしゃべる元気な子」だと言ってました。そして、昔ヤンキーだった感じが好きだと説明してました。何故かヤンキーの人は純粋だと思っているらしいです。「よくしゃべる元気な子」と聞いて、石橋貴明さんが本橋選手を勧めました。wwちなみにスケートリンクでデートは「絶対嫌だ」。


しかし、結婚するとしたら本橋選手は「すごい良さそう」だと言ってました。「余ったら是非、、、」と言ったら、本橋選手が笑いながら「絶対余んないですよね」と。

３番目に高橋選手が食べたのはサバの味噌煮でした。これもおばあさんの味だと説明してました。


２人共海外で試合をして、日本に帰って来た時に食事の面で一番したいことは居酒屋に行くことだと言ってました。　

次は本橋選手の番で、「ちゃんと目標がある人」が好きだと説明してました。しかし、この話はあまり続かず、彼女は直ぐハマチのにぎりを試食しました。

石橋さん：「色気より食い気」

高橋選手の最後はピータンでした。ビールがあれば、毎日食べても良いと思う程好きだと言ってました。

ガリを食べたり、水を飲んだり、食べ方が怪しかったです、、、

ここでバンクーバーで携帯の無くした話したでました。選手村に１月３１日に着いて、２月６日には無くしてしまったらしいです。ゴミ箱の中まで探したのに、最終的に見つからず終わったと言ってました。全体的に物を無くしたり忘れたりすることが多いと語っていました。お財布を無くしたり、スケート靴と衣装を忘れたり（？！）、、、

本橋選手の最後は勿論とろろそば。海外経験が多い所為か、本橋選手と高橋選手両方麺を吸えなくなってしまったと言ってました。分かる！


高橋選手はスタジオで二回転を披露しましたが、意外に体が固いでした。

そして等々筆入れの時間になりました。本橋選手はピータン、高橋選手はかぼちゃ団子と書きました。　

ジャイアントババのように「実食」と言う本橋選手。ww

第一回は両者外しました。石橋さんは相当自信があったみたいで、高橋選手が「大好きです」と言ったら凄い顔をしてました。wwそして、第２回の筆入れはカルボナーラとハマチのにぎりでした。これも外れ！

本橋選手は次に肉じゃが、高橋選手はタコのマリネと当ててみました。









そして、、、


引き分け！高橋選手はじゃが芋が嫌いで、本橋選手はタコを食べると口が痒くなるので苦手です。小さい頃、帆立を食べると私もそうなりました、、、

罰ゲームは変顔！

From the Archives: 09.08.2004 Oの嵐：野球 ＋ フラミンゴ ＝ 「打たせてよ！」

このコーナーの初回は北島康介選手がアテネ五輪で金メダルを獲得した時と同時に放送されたようで、視聴率がたった２％だったらしいです。wwリーダーのテンションがかなり落ちていました。

今回選んだ写真は野球の場面とフラミンゴでした：


「やりたくない」とか言いながら、リーダーは凄く丁寧に描いていました。


完成された絵を見せる前に、嵐のメンバーがリーダーは何を描いたかを想像してました。ニノと松潤はフラミンゴ打法がどうにか関連していると思ったが、、、


実際に描いた絵はこちら：

ニノ：「そこは全然面白くない」

翔くん：「誰だって見たら分かるじゃん」

Vancouver 2010: Closing Ceremonies

So, it's over. I'm not sure whether that was long or short, but at least I can focus on my own life now. I didn't watch much of the Closing Ceremony because I was in a meeting and on a shuttle for most of it, but some of the pictures posted through news outlets were stunning. Despite the rocky and controversial start to the Olympics, it seemed to really come together midway through, and I think people can get over their dramatic selves after prematurely declaring that these were the "worst Olympics ever."

Joannie Rochette was the flag-bearer for Canada, which was so well-deserved and unfortunate at the same time. (Completely random aside: I'm surprised she plans to compete at Worlds.) Mao Asada was the flag-bearer for Japan, which was also sweet but to me also seemed strangely like a consolation prize. She looked very happy, though, and that was wonderful to see. She used to smile like that while she skated...


No other sightings, figure skating or not. Shaun White must have not been there, because NBC did not cut to him during the whole 15 minutes the TV was on.

Vancouver 2010: Ladies

For the sake of my longevity and emotional well-being I did not watch the ladies' event. However I have seen certain programs online, read reviews, and looked at the protocols, and my opinion remains unchanged:

• The judging system is crap. There is no way a given jump should receive +1 from one judge and -2 from another. It doesn't matter whether judges value different things--there should be a protocol that lists that qualities make a good jump, and within that the judges should be free to weigh the merit, for example, a jump's height vs. its outflow. However no judge should be able to decide that a jump was -2 GOE because it was low even if it was clean and flowy, while another decides that it was +1 because it was clean and flowy. Just no. Any given element should have a spread of 2 points, MAYBE 3.
  
• I do not disagree with the final placements. That being said, I firmly believe that Yu-na Kim was overscored. She is not the only one (see: ice dance), but sometime during these Olympics the judges decided that it was less about scoring what they saw as it was giving as many points as possible to the executed elements so that these Games could be remembered as one where all world records fell. This is not a game of "Who can give more points?" Oh, wait. This is essentially the same point as above: the judging system is crap. WAKE UP, ISU.
• Someone please get Mao Asada out of Tatiana Tarasova's grip. Tarasova is a brilliant coach who has worked wonders with many skaters, and her relationship with Mao seems very sweet, but I just don't think that she is leading Mao on the right trajectory. I feel like her skating's characteristic airiness has been completely suppressed, and with it her consistency and cute costuming have disappeared. It's painful to watch. JSF, I'm counting on you.
  

Vancouver 2010: Free Dance

Okay. Now that I'm partly over the shock of the FD and the sudden barrage of midterms and things due, I can actually think and write about it. I didn't see much of it thanks to schoolwork, and the ones I did see were on a very fuzzy TV screen, but nevertheless the power and beauty definitely shined through. I was so excited for ice dance going into the Olympics, and it totally lived up to all of its hype. Wow.

Due to extenuating circumstances (read: people listening to music before I turned on the TV), I had to watch Isabel Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder on mute. Yes, that sort of defeats the purpose of watching the FD... and I also missed the moment where she pulls down her costume to reveal a tubetop or whatever, because, well, it was on mute and I was doing my homework. So in general that was a fail on my part, but my overall impression based on what I did see was that, like their OD, everything is there except enough time to train. I hope they manage something before Worlds.

Knowing that Meryl Davis & Charlie White were up next, I decided that I would rather be rude than miss the experience of the FD and unmuted the TV. OMG, it was so worth it. Actually the first thing that was worth it was seeing that clip of Charlie back when he was 8 years old or so, still playing ice hockey. I couldn't really make out what he was saying because of the noise in the room, but it was adorable! And then came their FD. I've always felt that they wasted Samson and Delilah by skating to it last year, and that their Phantom of the Opera music is not only overdone but badly cut, but that night their performance blew all of these doubts away. Even through the fuzziness I could tell that they were completely on fire, and everything was so fast, strong, and powerful. I can't even pick out specific moments because it was all one mesmerizing blur, although I do remember thinking (again) that the lift where Meryl is basically balancing on Charlie's calf, is both crazy (in a good way) and odd (aesthetically). At the end of the program he looked like he was going to collapse onto the ice of exhaustion, which just goes to show how much of themselves they put into the performance. As usual Meryl looked as calm and unflustered as ever--how she managed that, I don't know. They scored a personal best 107.19, including a 1.00 deduction for an extended lift that has so far not been identified, and while it was deserved I knew that we were in for another night of record-smashing score inflation.

Then I missed Frederica Faiella & Massimo Scali's FD because I am a bad ice dancing fan and a stressed-out student. However the next team I definitely made sure not to miss, because it was my favorite: Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir. The audience was crazy with excitement and anticipation, and I must have been too, considering James and Eric were snickering as I watched. Anyway, my opinion of Tessa & Scott's FD has remained the same throughout the season: beautiful, strategically sound (in that it plays to their strengths), version 3.0. Clearly they have become stronger with each season, but this FD is basically the same as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which was basically the same as Valse Triste. But regardless...

It was beautiful. Subtle, restrained, elegant, but powerful, this performance had it all. Tessa & Scott's love and respect for each other really came through. If I were going to be really nitpicky I would say that I have seen them more free and emotional in some other performances, such as at 2008 Worlds, and that Meryl & Charlie gripped my attention more, but overall it was a masterpiece and it was clear (if it hadn't been before they started skating) that they would win. The best part was their swan lift, or more rather the commentary (Rafael: "Zueva really likes hurting her men"), but like Meryl & Charlie's performance it's hard to pick out certain points because it was like all one moment. Their scores were an unheard-of 110.42. While I believe that Tessa & Scott are the rightful gold medalists, I am not entirely convinced that they beat Meryl & Charlie by such a large margin (5+ overall) even with the 1.00 deduction factored in. I suppose if the standings aren't affected, it doesn't hurt much to give the home crowd an extra bit of excitement. As if they needed any... although Scott has always come across to me as calm, intelligent, and well-spoken, his reaction upon seeing his scores revealed to me the fire that drives him to compete as he does and drove his 8-year-old self into an ice hockey melee. It was an interesting contrast to watch, and his pure excitement was refreshing.

Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto's performance fades in my memory because Meryl & Charlie and Tessa & Scott were so far and away the best of the night. However, it seemed to be that this was their best FD of the season, and I am sorry that politics and whatever else kept them out of 3rd place. To their credit both of them were extremely classy in their response, with Ben keeping it funny as usual and Tanith being thoughtful about how they would like to go out when they retire. A few comments by fsonline then got me thinking about how Tanith & Ben were the ones who even made the FD possible. Without them the European stranglehold on the sport would still exist, and the current classiness would probably not exist either. That is an amazing achievement and beyond all of their medals, they have so much to be proud of.

Oksana Domnina & Maxim Shabalin were last, and unsurprisingly NBC was not hesitant in their criticisms. I didn't pay all that much attention to them, except to see that they were using some kind of ropes/straps on their costumes to do their lifts, and while it was creative I just didn't feel anything from the program. They made some comments later about how they "had the best skate" but still only placed 3rd--the medal, by the way, seems like a complete boon of their nationality--and while the American media took that one line and used it as a sign of their lack of sportsmanship, I am still not completely convinced (until I see the whole interview, that is) that they were talking about the best skate of the night instead of the best skate of their season.

Because NBC is silly I haven't seen the moment where Scott tells Tessa that they came in second, behind the Russians, then tells her he's "just kidding." Come on, NBC... that has got to be the best quote of the night. I kept the TV on to watch the medal ceremony, during which it seemed that by the end of the night both of "Zueva's men" would have passed out. Scott looked so relieved and SO excited by his medal and by the anthem that I thought he'd keel over on the podium.

I think Meryl & Charlie still have even more to go--I feel like their full potential hasn't been reached just quite yet, even if the "yet" comes in a month at the World Championships--and I hope, hope, HOPE that neither they nor Tessa & Scott retire. Ice dancing is finally becoming interesting and beautiful, and if they retired it would undo everything.

Just for the record: I am not a bandwagon-jumping fan. I just pick the good ones, BEFORE the Olympics. :)

Vancouver 2010: Original Dance

Things are not looking good for Meryl Davis & Charlie White. I am fairly confident that they will medal, but their chances of realizing their gold-medal dream seem pretty slim at this point. Their strength compared to the rest of the field (well the other teams in the top 4, namely) is their OD, and while they unsurprisingly beat Oksana Domnina & Maxim Shabalin they still lost ground to Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir. Tessa & Scott's strength is definitely their FD, so it seems like it will be difficult for Meryl & Charlie (and everyone) to beat them tonight.

Anyway, to the specifics...

Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates: They were the only couple shown in between skicross races, and while I am still not a fan of her dress or their OD in general, it was very well executed and they successfully moved up several spots. They seem to be much more comfortable once they can get out of the CD, and it showed here. Emily & Evan are very well-trained technically, and Susie Wynne(?) was all over them.

(By the way, can I mention that skicross is a terrible idea? Wiping out with skis is so much worse than wiping out on a snowboard... or at least worse to watch... eek.)

Isabel Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder: Considering that they are former world champions, everyone knows what they are capable of, so the timing of her injury and pregnancy couldn't have been worse. I really liked the concept of their OD, which was a French Can-Can, but their performance was painfully heavy and slow. Susie described it as "rough around the edges," and it seems like they simply ran out of training time.

Sinead Kerr & John Kerr: They were as sweet and as entertaining as ever, but had a problem on their second set of twizzles that really held them back. They were also skating to American country music, and had a cool move at the end that involved them skidding to a stop to the sounds of a car. It's great that Sinead can use her relative size to their advantage and come up with these lifts and tricks, but all in all I guess their program had more show-skating qualities than technical ones.

Oksana & Maxim: This was the first time I saw their much-disputed OD and all "authenticity" controversies aside, I am not a fan of this program. It looked slow and labored, and nothing really grabbed at me because all of their ice dancing skills seemed hidden in wild moves and appearances. They were slow and seemingly messy, without a real emotional connection between them. I always wonder why they feel the need to do illusory programs, as they clearly have skating skills (see: CD), but they did and the result was a fairly empty routine. Susie nearly choked on her own voice trying to get all of her criticisms out, and I have to say that NBC's journalistic professionalism really fell here. While reporting that Australian aborigines have been offended by their program is fine, remarking that the portrayal of the culture clearly is not authentic is amateur, when she herself has no knowledge of the culture either. The commentators would later insert a snide comment when talking about Meryl's dress, which was pieced together from several Indian dresses purchased in a Indian shop in her hometown--"So her costume is authentic, unlike the Russians'." Completely unnecessary. "...so her costume has not generated controversy" is a valid journalistic move, making judgments on authenticity is not. The media in the US is as biased towards its athletes as it is possible to be, but NBC last night really crossed a whole new line. Anyway, the judges tried to hold Oksana & Maxim up as much as possible through their PCS, but in the end it wasn't enough to keep them anywhere higher than 3rd.

Meryl & Charlie: And then actually came the routine that has been used as the foil. They put out a great performance that really grabbed the audience, and again I was struck by Meryl's unique beauty. They beat their personal best pretty significantly, and at this point it looked like they had really gotten the job done.

Tessa & Scott: ...until Tessa & Scott skated, that is. Given the problems that they had on their OD earlier in the season, and the fact that the flamenco is less relatable than the Indian music, it seemed like they would lose the OD to Meryl & Charlie and then make up the difference in the FD. Susie kept making inane comments about how "there is no room for error," as if the other programs do have this room, but indeed Tessa & Scott's OD was super technical and high-paced. Everything was tight and close together, and there was none of the uncertainty of their previous competitions. I'm not sure what the male commentator meant by "they have a tendency to hold back," but either way there was no holding back in this flamenco. I loved their lift, although I could have sworn her legs were neater in previous attempts, but whatever. They looked amazingly and adorably pleased at the end, and their scores were even bigger than Meryl & Charlie's. Unlike in the pairs the scores probably weren't due to the Magic Canadian Bonus, but in general the scores seemed very inflated.

Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto: They have changed their costumes since Nationals. Why, I do not know, because these new ones looked needlessly heavy and someone described it as "looking as if they'd jumped off a deck of cards." I am still not a fan of their strangely jumpy OD, but their performance was the best I've seen from them in a while. There was energy, speed, and power, and most of all they looked happy. However the EEB decided that an all-North American podium just wouldn't do, and made sure their OD lost narrowly to the Russians. I have no idea how this happened, but because of it Tanith and Ben are still in 4th place.

FREE DANCE TONIGHT!

Vancouver 2010: Cute or Weird?

Of all things to celebrate an Olympic win:

The American admitted exclusively to Yahoo! Sports that he plans to reward himself for his Vancouver exploits with a top-of-the-range Aston Martin DBS sports car, the vehicle of choice for the last two Bond films starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007.

"Aston Martin all the way, baby," Lysacek told [Martin Rogers], rubbing his hands together. "Got to be the DBS. Just like Bond."

While I'm all for Evan buying himself a gift--it's cute that he's worked so hard for this moment and now wants to indulge in it--isn't he a bit old to be playing the equivalent to dress-up? 24 years old, still dreaming of being as cool as James Bond... the combination of an Olympic gold medal with this immaturity kind of makes me laugh. Is it a male thing, or an insular-figure-skating-world thing?

Vancouver 2010: Compulsory Dance

The Eastern European bloc has had to have been working overtime since Evgeny Plushenko's untimely and unlikely demise, but given the nature of the CD their efforts did not quite manifest. Of course this can probably all change on Sunday and Monday, but for now, Oksana Domnina & Maxim Shabalin are rightfully in first over hometown favorites Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, Meryl Davis & Charlie White, and Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto.

Oksana was wearing a strangely-cut red dress that had too much material in the top front, and not enough in the back and bottom. The solid red with the back jeweled accent worked well with Maxim's suit though, and it was hard to imagine that these were the same people embroiled in the OD controversy. Their skating was fast, smooth, close together, and easy, and although much of it seemed less sensual than Tanith & Ben's, the point of the CD is to be technical and they pulled it off flawlessly.

I thought Tessa & Scott skated well, but there was a slight lack of ease compared to some of their past performances. Of course it was the CD, so there's not much room for expression, and it was the first segment of the Olympics. Everything was tight and clean, although after a while I have to admit I found myself staring at Tessa's dress more than anything. I also started wondering if there's any effect of doing a tango in the CD and another in the OD (and now that I think about it, is a flamenco really a "folk dance"?). Anyway, their skate was enough for a new personal best, just behind Oksana & Maxim, and they looked pretty satisfied afterwards.

It was hard for me to pick between Meryl & Charlie and Tessa & Scott on a technical level, and that was probably where the (slight) Canadian advantage came in. Then again I'm not a ice dancing judge by any means, so there likely were also differences I didn't notice that account for the placements and two-point gap. Meryl & Charlie skated fast and close together, and for me they actually seemed more relaxed than Tessa & Scott. I've heard that Meryl had a priceless expression on her face after she realized they were third, but unfortunately I've yet to see this.

Going into these Games I shared the opinion that Tanith & Ben's medal chances were relatively pretty low, but they held everything together to come in 4th. Before any skating could begin I was immediately distracted by Tanith's dress, which has a lot of gratuitous cut-outs and is pretty much in line with the style of her other recent costumes. It also had two TASSELS! With a load of rhinestones and glitter added, it seemed unnecessarily showy, but at least it was all black and white. The thing I most noticed about their performance is the sensuality they oozed the moment the music started. Tanith was incredibly intense throughout, and their lines and smoothness of skating really shone through. Their ending move was a little overdramatic for me, but all in all it seemed like a good package for them, especially considering they'd never competed this CD this season. Again, I'm not sure about the specific technicalities that separate them from the top 3, but I really enjoyed this performance.

Isabelle Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder had the strangest lead-up to their CD, with Olivier putting on his suit jacket and both of them stroking their own and the other's jaws. I have to say, though, Olivier in a suit makes for a pretty imposing cut on the ice. Their music sounded different from the others', although I didn't know that was possible--maybe I'm imagining it. They skated fairly well but compared to the top teams it seemed a little slow, and the scores reflected it.

Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates did not have a great day, although their results are not altogether surprising considering that the CD has never been their strong suit. She was dressed in some red, purple, and turquoise ball of glitter that didn't quite go with his red shirt and vest, but whatever. Their skating was slower, further apart, and shallower than the top teams, and she had a slight misstep in their final pose, but it was a good effort from them at their first Olympics.

Vancouver 2010: Men's FS

Oh, my god. I can actually breathe, think clearly, and write now. Watching figure skating gives me a cardio workout (so there, doctor who thinks I lack exercise) but also takes significant years off my life. Perhaps those two effects can cancel each other out.

The evening started out with a bit of unsurprised, exasperated anger, as NBC thought that it would much rather air the women's halfpipe finals live than even take 5 minutes to cut to Jeremy Abbott's FS. They did end up showing him on tape delay right before the last two groups skated, and I guess in a way it was a good thing, because we all had time to emotionally prepare for the fact that his Olympic experience was just not to be. He did well to pull himself up to 9th after a 16th-place SP, but all in all it was just a sad thing to see.

NBC did not bother airing Brian Joubert's skate at all, but that was also probably for the best. Poor guy.

The first skater they actually showed live was my favorite, Takahiko Kozuka. Let it be known that I have been a fan since before his bandwagon existed. Anyway, I thought he gave a great performance despite falling on a triple Axel--it was the first time I'd seen him really land a quad, even though he two-footed it, and the rest of his jumps were more or less solid (a couple of nervous landings, but nothing major... and far fewer shaky landings than Evgeny Plushenko would later make). Takahiko's smile at the end of his program was just adorable, and I'm really happy that his Olympic debut was such a positive one (8th overall). Hopefully he can build on this experience for Worlds and also 2014.

I had no idea Dennis Ten was still only 16. There was a lot about his program that was iffy, but there was also a lot that showed potential for 2014 and maybe even 2018. The poor kid's face was plastered with foundation or something, but I suppose that's not quite his fault.

NBC skipped Kevin van der Perren (perhaps his skeleton costume scared them away for good?), so the next skater I saw was Florent Amodio. There was a great backstory about being abandoned in Brazil, his home country, and being discovered at an ice rink at age 4 after being adopted by a French couple. His program was set to the soundtrack of "Amelie," although people in the JCR were convinced it was some sort of remix, and I didn't quite get how the theme of his costume was related. There was cute paint touches on his face and he was very much in "character," but his jumps weren't quite there.

I believe the first real OMG of the night was Patrick Chan. What a lucky Canadian mess. His triple Lutz was off and he fell on his triple Axel, but lo and behold, the magic of the Canadian prop gave him PCS that were nearly through the roof. Ta-da! He moves up 2 spots overall to place 5th. In the end he would go on to defeat Daisuke Takahashi and Johnny Weir in the FS, which is just ridiculous. I am so glad his arrogant face stopped off of the podium.

I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I didn't realize Michal Brezina was Michal Brezina until about 30 seconds left in his program. I saw the shock of white-blond hair and just sort of assumed he was a random European who had made it into the top 12, and didn't quite pay attention. So, sadly, all I remember about him is a pale pink sweater vest.

And then came Evan Lysacek, the second OMG of the night. I used to be somewhere between indifferent and vaguely positive about his skating, but now it is just one big NO. Snarky bloggers are right--he IS an overtanned Ken doll. With overgrown limbs, I might add. Anyway, while this may make me a bad person I kept willing him to fall, and it just never happened. I think there is something to be said about him playing it safe and not going for the quad in the biggest competition in figure skating, but at the same time he played it smart. And it worked. If only it hadn't...

I was about 75% nervous and 25% calm when Nobunari Oda took to the ice. I inadvertently squealed and everyone sort of gave me a brief look. Then they thankfully forgot about it and instead started commenting on how small and young he is, even though the entire room was younger than him. There was something oddly tight about his performance and I kept wanting him to turn it on and bring it, but just as I looked away in a combination of nervousness and the need to do some work, he did something extremely odd on his triple loop and broke a lace. At first I thought he was hurt and got very scared, but then realized it was just a broken lace even though Scott Hamilton was hinting at all sorts of dire physical things. Apparently these issues are now penalized 2.00, and so it was no surprise that Nikolai Morozov was waiting by the boards, redder than ever. He sort of stood around looking o while two Japanese officials knelt down and worked some kind of magic to get the lace re-tied and Nobunari back onto the ice within 3 minutes. He finished his program well, all considered, but it was just a sad and bizarre way to end an Olympic FS. In the Kiss & Cry, Nikolai at least made an attempt to be comforting by patting Nobunari on the back several times, but all along his face was a large red :|. Sadly this dropped Nobunari to 7th overall after being 4th after the SP. At this point I started to consider not watching Daisuke skate at all.

Stephane Lambiel gave me a much-needed breather, because the idea of Daisuke skating next was wreaking havoc with my blood pressure. Stephane went for the quad toe twice and more or less got them, although with -GOE, to make up for the fact that he lacks a triple Axel. I still can't get over that. None of his other jumps were really that spectacular, but his step sequence and spins of course were rated very highly. I seriously cannot understand this, but he somehow clawed his way into 4th place overall, helped by some massive PCS. Aargh.

A very strange calm came over me as Daisuke began to skate in a somewhat ill-advised costume. However this all disappeared the moment he went into his quad toe, because I KNEW it was a bad idea all along and of course he fell. I gave some sort of spastic scream and ran from the JCR. I understand that he wanted to put together a perfect program that challenged everything he has, but at the same time he KNEW that he didn't need the quad to win. Of the top 3 men after the SP only Plushenko had attempted a quad, and yet they were virtually tied. AAAHH his coach should have stopped him. AAAHH. Anyway I went back into the JCR shortly after that, but didn't actually watch anything because I was too scared and was talking to people on Gchat, then quickly ran out again. People in the JCR must think I'm insane. Sorry, everyone. I gave myself two minutes before returning to the JCR to hear the commentators talking about how he really rebounded, but we all knew all was lost. His PCS were the highest of the night--well-deserved, I believe, but still not good enough. I couldn't believe he actually placed behind Stephane in the FS, but the strength of his SP managed to keep him in 2nd behind Evan.

Although there is a lot about Johnny Weir that bothers me, I have a newfound appreciation for his quality of skating, especially compared to Evan's. He did not go for a quad even though he had talked about it (did anybody believe him?), and instead churned out one triple after another. There was a strange stumble in his footwork and he came out of his spin too early, but otherwise it was a great performance and despite Daisuke's 8-point lead I was legitimately afraid that Johnny would beat him. Yet my fears were unfounded because the politics were out in full force, and he ended up behind both Stephane and Patrick. Unbelievable. As much as I was secretly hoping Johnny would make mistakes, I believe that Johnny was severely underscored and should have come in 4th overall (realistically speaking, the gap between him and the top 3 was too large), and his FS should have been 2nd or 3rd. Rafael was seriously going to kill someone. Actually, he probably still is.

I am not sure what I was hoping for when Evgeny began to skate. On one hand I am not a fan of his skating, but on the other this was the difference between Evan being the gold medalist or not being the gold medalist. It just sort of seemed like Evgeny winning would indicate that all things are the way they should be in the skating world, like it or not. However there was something off about him throughout the performance and I am personally surprised his FS was good enough for 2nd. Yes, he did a quad toe + triple toe combination, but most of his other jumps were either tilted in the air or had forced landings, or both. For whatever reason Scott Hamilton was extremely complimentary about Evgeny's ability to land things, although I feel that if it had been another skater he would have been all over with the criticisms. Evgeny made some extremely strange attempts at choreography and artistry, wagging his hips and shoulders at random times and blowing kisses to the crowd. I think only Johnny can pull that off. A part of me still had faith in the power of the Eastern European bloc, but by the time he finished it was evident that it was not his night. NBC cut to a shot of Evan with the most sickening smirk I have ever seen, and then back to Evgeny who looked sad and strangely red. Sure enough, his performance was only second best, and Evan's celebrations began. Scott made some unfounded remarks about how the "hardest worker" or the "best trained competitor" won. He's been making references to Evan's work ethic throughout, and while I don't doubt that Evan works hard I also don't doubt that Scott has no comparative data. I just think that it's offensive and insensitive to the other skaters out there who put in their best efforts every day but just don't reach the top, or rather, just don't reach NBC's fluff radar. Once they have an idea, they run with it. Like Evgeny's driving scenes. And oh yeah, I think a skater with 1 Olympic gold and 2 silvers would know a thing or two about "hard work."

There is some I could say on NBC's camera work during the medal ceremony, but whatever. I hope this means that there is some karma for the ladies' competition, and I am still unreasonably hoping that the men's result has no effect on ice dance.

Yeah, right.

And of course, congratulations, Daisuke Takahashi, for winning Japan's first-ever Olympic medal in men's figure skating.

Vancouver 2010: Snowboarders of All Kinds

Apparently snowboarders get what's coming to them at this Olympics.

For some reason NBC has decided that Lindsey Jacobellis is a sad story of a young unlucky woman, looking for redemption and some reassurance that all is fair in the world. Well, it is fair--when you let go of an exceptionally unique opportunity because you were complacent, then you don't deserve another chance. I guess she missed that stage in life where you read Aesop's fables. That she missed qualifying for the medal run of her first event is exactly what she deserves.

An even worse story is Kazuhiro Kokubo. I honestly just cannot understand where and how he was raised. My problem is not with his dreadlocks and nose ring, as it is with my dad's, but rather his completely indifferent and too-cool-for-you demeanor at the following press conference. This whole thing would have been fine if he'd just apologized for looking like a mess in the airport, which isn't the most serious of offenses anyway (actually, how many countries other than Japan would get so angry?), but instead he disrespects everything possible and makes international news. For a while I wanted him to be sent home--which he almost was, prompting an "actual apology"--but now that I think about it, losing spectacularly is even better. So was losing the support of his home school. How embarrassing that not even the Olympics can instill in him a sense of representation. A medal would have been nice for Japan, sure. But not for him. I hope his parents are hiding their heads in shame right now.

As for the rest... watching snowboard cross is like watching a video game.

Vancouver 2010: Pairs FS

The pairs FS was sort of a mess. There must have been some sort of draft in the arena--how else to explain that almost every girl was leaning on their throws before (usually) pulling them out? Oh, and the ice must have been super slippery. More slippery than usual.

The first pair that NBC aired was Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett, who right away stuck their side-by-side triple toes they'd missed the day before, although now that I look at it someone's was downgraded. Their second side-by-side jumps--two double Axels in sequence--were kind of a disaster. He put his hand down, which distracted me from seeing that she'd actually singled hers. They pulled it together for the rest of the program, though, and through it all their sheer determination (especially Caydee's) was very evident. Not perfect, but not bad, especially, for a first experience.

Next were Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig, who are just so much better when they're not thinking about placements (this may seem like an obvious, but there are some skaters out there who turn it on when the pressure is on... but this team was not quite blessed with competitive mettle). Mark doubled his side-by-side triple toe, and I believe Amanda (not sure) doubled the second triple toe in the sequence. Their side-by-side double Axels also received a negative GOE, but everything else was clean even though Amanda was leaning crazily during the throws. Most impressive was that their reverse lasso lift was the single highest-scoring element of the entire competition. So proud!

NBC then skipped the next three pairs, including Tatiana Volosozhar & Stanislav Morozov, so the next performance that I saw was Anabelle Langlois & Cody Hay. It was a pretty unfortunate skate, especially considering that they were on home soil. Their opening side-by-side triple Salchows got the program to a falling start, their side-by-side spins were off, and their throw triple Lutz had an ugly two-foot. In the end they looked unsurprisingly disappointed, although I do have to point out that they have been through a lot in the last year and a half. Or rather, NBC has to point that out, and I'm just repeating it. They ended up dropping to 9th overall.

Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang, 2006's questionable silver medalists, skated to Scheherazade, which needs to be retired now. Their side-by-side combination jumps were a disaster, although the rest of the program was solid, and they ended up in 5th. I suppose lightning doesn't strike twice after all.

Then came the beneficiaries of the politics and overscoring in the SP, Maria Mukhortova & Maxim Trankov. Although their twist lift was good, there was a fall on their side-by-side triple Salchows, and their next side-by-side triple toe + double toe combination was even worse, if possible. He put his hand down on the first jump, throwing them completely off unison even though they both completed their jumps. The rest of the program was without incident, but how many times can you get away with falling on side-by-sides in one competition? Well, at least once, it seems, as they actually moved UP a spot from their SP placement and into 7th. Say thanks to the Canadians~

Jessica Dube & Bryce Davison continued the competition tradition of falling, and so of course she botched their side-by-side triple Salchows. Honestly, why do they insist on this? Their side-by-side spins were off unison, and their throw triple Lutz was extremely tilted but somehow landed. Her position on the death spiral was very low to the ice--much lower than I've ever seen--but I don't know what this actually means in terms of quality and technique (+0.5 GOE?). At the time their placements seemed high, but considering they moved neither up or down against the messy field, it probably all makes sense.

NBC could not resist mentioning at every opportunity that Russia has had a monopoly over the Olympic pairs event for the past 12 events, as if Yuko Kavaguti needed any more pressure on her ridiculously thin shoulders. Although she took a step in the right direction by losing the headpiece from the SP, she took a giant step in the wrong direction with a red dress that included, as Rafael puts it, "boob flaps." But despite the tradition, it was just not meant to be. Both of their throws were a mess, with a fall coming on the triple loop (but why no -3 GOE?), and their double double-Axel sequence also had serious issues. I wasn't expecting them to win--I doubt anybody was, except maybe Tamara Moskvina, who gave Yuko a serious death glare after the competition--but 7th in the FS is sad. Yet despite all of the errors, the worst part of her & Alexander Smirnov's program was the middle, during which they bop around a bit on the ice and she pulls off her flaps. What. on. EARTH. It's not even like the costumes had meaning--there was no relationship between her red monstrosity and his blue blah with an arranged version of the "Blue Danube." I actually couldn't believe they beat Dan & Hao.

Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy were a saddening disappointment. I know they've had a tough season and all, but they are defending world champions, and I kept hoping that they would pull something together. Instead their triple toe + double toe sequence was messy, and Robin had an almost comical fall on their side-by-side double Axels. Not only did he fall, he also seemed to slip getting up, leaving Aliona looking at him in near disbelief in the middle of their program. Their following side-by-side spins started out very fast and tight, then fell out of unison. Like many other pairs they got through the rest of the program fairly successfully, including a lift that looks very much like Jane Summersett & Todd Gilles' trademark.

Something about Qing Pang & Jian Tong bores me, but admittedly they had the best FS of the night. They were skating to "Man of La Mancha," which may or may not be composed by Joe Hisaishi (?), and although I wasn't so impressed by their musicality (the judges were though, just LOOK at those PCS), they skated cleanly. What a rarity.

So although I'd maintained that I was least invested in the outcome of the pairs event--which was and is true--by the time Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao took the ice my heart was reading to beat itself out of my chest. I wanted them to win so badly, and evidently the commentators did too--they virtually said nothing throughout the program. Except, of course, the Gasp. In a mistake I have never seen them make, Xue slipped off Hongbo's support hand in their lasso lift and basically slid down his back. Sandra Bezic nearly collapsed in the booth. There were no other mistakes from them, but there was still something about their performance that seemed a little off, and I felt sad that they couldn't win their Olympic gold on a perfect note. Dick Button would go on to rant about this for quite a while afterwards. Of course some idiot of an uninformed journalist interpreted Hongbo's holding his head in his hands after the performance as disbelief over their win instead of disbelief over their mistake, but whatever. We all knew the judges would never let them lose, even if it meant raising their Interpretation score even higher than a 9.25. They (fairly) came in second in the FS, but held on to win overall, and the squeal from Xue the moment they realized they had won was pricelessly adorable.

I hope this outcome doesn't mean I've used up all of my luck in this Olympics...

Vancouver 2010: Men's SP

Thanks to my homework, I missed Evgeny Plushenko's performance. Thanks to people who prioritized LOST, I missed the first 2.5 minutes of Daisuke Takahashi's performance. It was probably all for the better, though, because Plushenko is too mechanical for me to care about, and Daisuke would have added to the heart damage I'm pretty sure I've suffered over the past several days. So anyway, I caught the end of Takahashi's SP and he seemed very pleased, and the commentators also had all positive things to say. His score was huge (90.25?), easily beating his personal best, and showing that in fact a quad is not necessary in this new judging world.

Stephane Lambiel skated two spots after him, and the first thing that surprised me was that he didn't even try the triple Axel. Actually, no, because the first thing was the apparent heaviness of his costume. Must have had it designed by the same person who does (used to do?) Miki Ando's. Anyway, I know the triple Axel has given him problems over his career, but at least he used to try it--now he goes for a double Axel with a +GOE. Smart, I suppose, but there's something that just isn't right about a top-tier men's competitor--a two-time World Champion, no less--who can't do a triple Axel. He then stumbled out of his quad toe (I wonder if even the double Axel is too much of a challenge for him that the quad has to be second?) and managed to put only a double toe in combination instead of the planned triple. But his spins and footwork were amazing, of course, and this combined with his reputation gave him enough PCS to safely put him in fifth overall. I really feel that he was overmarked, but it is what it is.

Next was Nobunari Oda. Do I like his skating? Do I not? I can't actually decide. Tonight, though, his jumping was on--the exits were so smooth, and on such deep edges, and his height and air position were near-perfect. The judges really didn't appreciate his PCS, however--does it have anything to do with glitter and slicked-back hair?--and was placed 6 points out of the top 3, and just over Lambiel. I think that's my real issue: while Stephane's artistry is arguably the best in the world, it really just is not excusable to not jump, and the difference between their scores masked that completely. Sandra Bezic also remarked that Nobunari has to develop his stretch, but that he's "only 22" and that this will "come with time"... "only 22"? In figure skating? I know men peak later than women, but still... The highlight, of course, was seeing Nikolai Morozov in the Kiss & Cry.

Could I relax? No, because following him was Brian Joubert. And he was my first heartbreak of the night. He is so talented and so strong, even if he does lack classic artistry, but it seems that he may have psyched himself out a bit too much tonight. Plus he's coming back from that terrible foot injury. He botched the landing of his quad toe--what Scott Hamilton called his "trademark" moments before--pulled off a triple Axel, but completely failed to do a triple Lutz, meaning that in total he essentially left out his combination jump. At the end he looked so sad it made me feel strangely and acutely helpless. He has a history of headcasing at the Olympics, but maybe he can pull himself together for the FS, then go to Worlds and redeem himself.

Continuing my nervousness was my personal, endearing favorite, Takahiko Kozuka. The first thing that really strikes me about him is not actually him, but rather his coach, Nobuo Sato. In my years of following figure skating I have never seen him show any emotion other than a slight benevolence around the eyes, barely masking a will of steel. This is not to say that he is emotionless--rather, he has great control over his emotions in public and remains a solid pillar to which his students can look during stressful situations, and probably unleashes his intensity in practice. Just watching him makes me calm, and it's always so touching to see how much belief he has in Takahiko (as well as Yukari Nakano, also known as the saddest girl in the world). The second thing was Takahiko's wild red shirt. Just as I was scrambling to find a way to justify it, Scott Hamilton mentions that it's "great." Of course. As to Takahiko's skating itself, I thought he pulled everything together remarkably, except the two-footed triple Axel. The judges REALLY didn't like that and hammered him in the GOE, mysteriously took off points on his triple flip, and also did not particularly appreciate him in the PCS. I thought he could have placed higher than or closer to Stephane, but all in all it was a solid SP.

Patrick Chan has been so hyped over the past several years that I forget he is only 19. There is a self-assurance about him that could be taken as arrogance, and while I admit that he is very talented there also seems to be a part of him that is simply good at tricking the judges. Given his nationality I hoped no trickery would happen today, and I think in the end it was kept to an arguable minimum. His triple Axel wasn't quite clean, which the judges noticed, but he also stumbled in the middle of his footwork, which apparently the judges didn't notice. At the end he received a time violation, which would actually have moved him up one place overall had he not gone over. Considering hometown pressure, though, I think he held things together very well.

The JCR started miraculously filling up immediately before Johnny Weir's skate. I am sorry, but I just cannot accept his mesh, pink, rhinestones, and tassel, and I found myself vaguely disappointed when he kept his program together. There was nothing technically flashy but it was all solidly there, and in the interest of fairness I am still a little confused as to how he received a -2.00 GOE on his triple flip. The best part of his performance was this quote from Scott Hamilton: "Johnny Weir is the envy of every man in America because he's rooming with Tanith Belbin." Johnny Weir is also the only man in American who cannot appreciate his rooming situation.

Kevin van der Perren apparently thought it was October, because he came out in a skeleton costume that prompted a most uncharacteristic remark:

me: ...van der Perren is dressed in a skeleton costume
Huy: he needs to kill himself

He still has that odd habit of spotting his jumps, and the commentators made sure to take every opportunity to point out that he's simply not in the "same league" as the top competitors, but he skated cleanly and he seemed very happy with his performance. In the end that is all you can ask for and it is refreshing and heartwarming to see people create good memories.

Thomas Verner, the on-again off-again skater, was completely off tonight and went the same way as Brian. Then came Evan Lysacek, in all of his long-limbed glory with the ill-advised slicked-back hair. There is just something so flailingly distracting about his arms and legs that prevents me from appreciating the quality of his skating, but it was evident from the comments that NBC has decided to put all of their figure skating eggs in this basket. The Shawn White of figure skating, perhaps, though probably not to the same extent. Anyway, his jumps were spot-on, but his spins had some problems--the second one he pulled through somehow, but the last one traveled all of the place. Thankfully for him the judges didn't really do much about it (I guess the traveling could have been balanced out by his good positions?), and he slipped in right between Evgeny and Daisuke. Craziness. He also cried on the ice after his performance, which seems a tad overdramatic to me after a SP, even if it is the Olympics and he does have some demons to dispel.

My second heartbreak of the night came in the form of Jeremy Abbott. He seemed a little tight going in, and ended up singing his Axel and doubling his Lutz. The whole program came a little undone after that and although his PCS held up well, he was obviously devastated. Scott Hamilton then remarked that he'd been one of the ones who'd looked into the future and worried about Jeremy having peaked too early at Nationals. Poor guy. It was painful to watch.

The last skater of the night was Michael Brezina, who has been occasionally hyped as a skater to watch. The hypers are right--all of his skills are there--even though he needs to develop his artistry and his reputation. I was temporarily under the impression that he had beaten Takahiko and Patrick, but in the end he placed just under them, which makes more sense to me now.

So with the exception of Brian and Jeremy, and Stephane's inflated scores, tonight was a great competition. I am so glad that the FS isn't until Thursday so I can actually do work and not be nervous for a night, but at the same time I am so excited!

Also: there were surprisingly few downgrades today. I am sure that is in part due to the sheer power of the men, but I also wonder if this set of judges is more lenient than some others? That would be refreshing... On the other hand all of this score manipulation based on reputation is really concerning me.

Vancouver 2010: Pairs SP

I was going to post for the SP and FS, as soon as they happened, but I got so caught up in just watching that I didn't actually make it to writing. I wasn't overly invested in any of the pairs, so I was able to watch the competition in relative calm...

So, starting with the SP: ugh, really, judges? Are you SURE about the marks?

Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao: If I had to pick a personal favorite of the realistic medal contenders, Shen & Zhao would be it. I've been in love with this pair since their FS at the 2003 World Championships, and considering how long they've been around, with things just not working out at the Olympics, I really wanted them to win. Their SP was pretty perfect technically, although their side-by-side spins seemed vaguely off. They set a world record with their performance, but to me there was something missing--I've seen them better, with more sparkle. It was probably because they were first to skate, and the atmosphere hadn't quite yet warmed up. Also, his costume was extremely questionable, as was his apparently dyed hair.

Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett: Caydee had a somewhat surprising, somewhat not surprising, mistake on the side-by-side triple toes and doubled hers. I've actually only seen them perform at two competitions (2009 and 2010 US Nationals), but both times they've been rock solid. On the other hand, this was their first Olympics. Except for that mistake, though, their program was pretty good, and they clearly should be proud.

Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig: I love them! I think this might be the first completely clean competitive program I've seen them perform, and although I held my breath during their side-by-sides everything went off without any problems. At the end Amanda looked like she was already crying out on the ice, and it was great to see. They set their personal bests, which must be a wonderful feeling at the Olympics.

Skip a few, thanks to NBC's spotty coverage... I also have no particular recollection of Anabelle Langlois & Cody Hay.

Maria Mukhortova & Maxim Tranknov: She is pretty, delicate, and pretty quintessentially Russian, and the commentators were gushing about their potential to carry on the future of the Russian tradition. Unfortunately for them tonight, he completely wiped out on their side-by-side triple toes and she put her hand down. The rest of their program sort of never reached a peak as a result, but somehow, SOMEHOW, they placed safely above Mark & Amanda, even beating them in the TES. I can understand if the Russians had better PCS, but in both segments? It must really pay to be Russian... and I mean that in more than one way.

Tatiana Volosozhar & Stanislav Morozov: Their blue, shiny costumes hugged every single (non-)contour of their bodies, and was extremely distracting, but that aside I thought their program was solid. Their side-by-side jumps were iffy, but there was no fall, and their throw triple loop was awesome. For whatever nitpicky reasons their straight-line step sequence was rated a Level 1, and their death spiral a Level 2, which conveniently placed them behind the Russians. Oh, figure skating...

Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov: Their skating fails to really grab me, but I have to say that they have really improved over these past several years. She was wearing this really strange white, rhinestoned headband that made her look like she was in Star Trek or something even though she was trying to be a swan. Their scores were higher than I expected, but to be fair they were technically solid even though they still carry this perpetual awkwardness. Also... Kavaguti? Really? Was that necessary?

Jessica Dube & Bryce Davison: I can never figure out whether this team is actually any good. Their SP started out okay, but then just as the commentators (who, by the way, must be paid by the word) mentioned that the triple Salchow is the bane of Jessica's existence, she fell on their side-by-sides. I don't really understand why then they wouldn't just elect to make their side-by-sides triple toes instead, but whatever. After her fall their performance sort of fell flat and they seemed to know it too, but the judges, blinded by the red maple leaf on a white background flanked by two thick red lines, gave them enough points to place above the other Canadians, the Russians, and the Ukranians, with room to spare. As fsonline put it, their citizenship must give them +3 GOEs.

Qing Pang & Jian Tong: I don't really remember this pair, except that they received a time violation. It seems very odd to me that it would happen at the Olympics of all places, but in the end it would make no difference. Everything seemed pretty well done, even though the judges rated their twist and their death spiral Level 1.

Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang: I also don't really remember this pair either. They were technically very good (although again, their lift was rated a Level 1... what determines that, anyway?) but the commentators remarked that their artistry is lacking. Possible, but the judges didn't really seem to think so.

Aliona Savchenko & Robin Zolkowy: I love "Send in the Clowns" and I loved their costumes. They were so creative without being distracting, and really drew the crowd in. I've never been quite able to decide what exactly I think of them, but they were on in the SP. Everything looked great, and now that I look at it everyone's twist list is a Level 1, so I actually have no idea what's going on. At the end her nose was smeared with red makeup, which just added to their overall impression of playfulness and happiness. They squeezed into second just 0.50 points behind Shen & Zhao.

So if I were judging, my list would have looked like this: 1. Shen & Zhao 2. Savchenko & Zolkowy 3. Kavaguti & Smirnov 4. Pang & Tong 5. Zhang & Zhang 6./7. Langlois & Hay / Volosozhar & Morozov 8. Evora & Ladwig 9. Dube & Davison 10. Mukhortova & Tranknov. Not that in the end, this would make any difference in the medal standings, but still...

02.12.2010 はなまるカフェ：櫻井翔

Mステのようにはなまるカフェも普通あまり観ないんですが、翔くんには興味があったので観ました。バンクーバーに行く直前に撮ったらしいです。翔くん、本当に忙しいそうですね！新しいドラマも放送されますし、雑誌の写真集にも出ましたし、この頃毎晩３〜４時間しか寝てないそうです。

その雑誌というと：

裸かほとんど裸の写真集だったらしいです。販売されてから一時親から連絡が来なくなったと。ww

相変わらずの朝飯紹介がありました。翔くんは男にしてはかなり体重を気にしているみたいで、毎朝計ることにしていると説明してました。アイドルですね。ちょっと太り気味の日は食事を控えめにして、痩せている日は多めに食べていいと決めていると言ってました。カワイイ！でも、その「今日は食べてやろう」という日は、朝からオムライスとか食べると、、、

オムライス程ヘビーじゃないけれど、朝ご飯がハムサンド？

そこから翔くんが持って来た写真の相談に入りました。まずは「ひみつの嵐ちゃん」の新しいコーナーが紹介されました。最初は普通な写真を撮ったらしいですが、それは詰まらないと決めたと。

仲が良いですね！

次は翔くんが車の中で使っているモーフの写真がありました。三枚目はおばあさんから届いた手紙の写真でした。翔くんが出ている番組やコンサートを一つ一つ観て、感想や応援の言葉を書いていると話してました。ちょっとアップした時に、おばあさんの字で「翔ちゃん」て書いてあるのが見えました。いかにも愛情がこもっていて、なんか暖まりました。翔くんは手紙を返す時間はないですが、休みの日にはおばあさんの家へ遊びに行くと言ってました。本当に家族と仲が良さそうです。

毎日が忙しいので、色々持ち歩けるお香などを揃えていると翔くんが説明してました：

凄い揃えてますね！

最後の写真は翔くんの天然な面を表してました。新しい靴を履いている時に、底にタッグが未だ貼ってあったと気が付かずに歩き回っていたと。脱いだ時にマネージャーさんが見つけて、早速「はなまるのために」と言って写真を撮ったと。ww

これは翔くんが自分で評価した自分の性格です。おしゃれ度が１の理由は「マネキンファイブ」に直接繋がっているらしいです。ダブルパーカー以来パーカーを来ていないし、嵐５人が自分達のファッションセンスを疑い始めたと言ってました。プライベートの生活にも影響があるコーナーは中々ないと。確かに。他の評価は結構なっとく出来ました。結婚希望度は２ですが、それは結婚自体より結婚式をしたいとか、、、

最後はドラマで共演している高橋克実さんからメッセージでした。「トリビアの泉」でも衣装のパンチパーマでもただのVTRでも面白い人ですね！その上、真央ちゃんのファン^_^

02.12.2010 Mステ

普通Mステは観ないんですけれども、今回は嵐のオリンピック向けの曲が披露されると分かって、興味を持って観ました。何回か「揺らせ、今を」を前聞いたんですが、特にハマりませんでした。ですが、嵐５人（４人？）が踊りながら歌うと、やっぱり迫力があります。昨日以来、この曲のファンになりました！ww　オリンピックが昨日始まったので、丁度良いタイミングですね〜

翔くんは荒川静香さんとバンクーバーに行って司会をしているので、嵐４人でMステに出てました。しかし、色々工夫して、まるで翔くんがいるかのようになりました。全員揃うのがもちろん一番良いけれども、一つの意味では５人いるよりこっちの方が面白いかも、、、

最初翔くんが画面に映った時、思わず爆笑してしまいました！

リーダーカワイイ^_^

これは凄かったです！

「揺らせ、今を」他には「Troublemaker」を歌いました、、、翔くん５人もいるの？！

皆、仲良し！

ちなみに：

Vancouver 2010: Opening Ceremonies!

The Olympics have begun! Up until as late as this afternoon I wasn't really feeling the spirit, but of course I got really into it as 9 PM rolled around. I was mislead by the schedule on vancouver2010.com and missed some of the beginning, but regardless I saw quite a bit of it. I'm not sure if this is the right word, but this year's Opening Ceremonies seemed organic--it was a sharp contrast to the people-heavy, mechanical, and stylized ceremonies in Beijing, and there was a lot of emphasis on Canada's rich history of aborigines as well as its expansive natural landscape. I'm a sucker for uniformity and precision, I've realized, so some segments such as the tribal dances were vaguely irritating and the fiddle-based dance seemed chaotic (although that's just the way the dances are, so I'm not sure what I expect). Nothing was over the top, and it seemed that Vancouver made a lot of effort to rely on technology to create cool effects that also might be achieved by actual, unreusable materials. Using blue lighting, for example, to mimic water and swimming dolphins (?) was ingenious, and didn't require anything like people running under the cover of a dolphin-like costume. I also loved the Joni Mitchell segment (not only because it reminds me of Love Actually)--the simplicity of the boy's outfit and the idea of suspending him as he runs through golden fields lent a lovely sense of beauty to the event. All in all the ceremony seemed appropriately respectful of both Canada itself and the solemn atmosphere of a global recession.

Unfortunately I had to watch these ceremonies with some painfully ignorant people (actually, do the NBC commentators count too?).

• There are about 195 countries.
• Moldova and Moldavia are not the same. Moldova is a country, Moldavia is a region from where the inspiration for Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto's OD comes.
• Andorra. Azerbaijan. Come on now.

Besides that, I enjoyed watching most of the Parade of Nations while doing some STATA work. Compared to the Summer Olympics there are a lot fewer participants, so the parade progressed much more quickly, which I liked. Of course the powerhouses such as Austria and China were most noticeable, but it probably goes without saying that Georgia's entrance was most memorable. It was incredible how the entire stadium became hushed, following with an encouraging standing ovation. The delegation wore black armbands and scarves, and tied a black ribbon to their flag. I had heard that the entire team had withdrawn from the Games, so when I saw that they were marching I thought that it was perhaps a symbolic move, but now it looks like they are planning to compete. It's a terrible tragedy and I feel for the Georgian athletes for whom the some of the best and worst moments of their lives are irretrievably linked. I wonder though, as many also are, how facilities considered potentially fatally dangerous could ever have passed through whatever tests and regulations there are. Some athletes and officials alike have voiced their concern, and yet they continue to practice anyway--perhaps it's time for all of the athletes to come together and refuse to race.

How beautiful and how brave. (Copyright Cameron Spencer)

I got unreasonably nervous (?!) and excited when Japan came in, although because I am stupid I forgot about a lot of "I" countries and had various false alarms. Anyway, the team looked sharp--in contrast to Kazuhiro Kokubo's embarrassment, god--although I wonder what they would have looked like had the uniforms been designed with red pants instead of navy. Obviously I am not a supporter of red pants, but in this case incorporating blue seemed to take off quite a bit from Japan's color identity. I think I saw Nobunari Oda and Takahiko Kozuka (!), but even though the NBC commentators were talking about Mao Asada (♡) and Miki Ando, neither of them were shown.

Copyright Kyodo News?

Look, it's Nobunari! (Copyright Sandra Behne)

After that I didn't pay particular attention until it was the United States' time, except to notice that Russia made some outlandish claim about taking home 40 medals. According to NBC some total around 30 would place any country at the top of the medal standings, but apparently Russia has decided otherwise. Canada did a similar thing, claiming it would win the overall medal count (“We’re still going to be nice, but we’re going to be nice in winning,” said Michael Chambers, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee)--but something about it being the host country makes me want to let that slide. Regardless, confident declarations always really bother and worry me... Anyway, despite there being over 200 athletes from the United States almost no one from the team was shown except Shaun White. I think I caught a glimpse of Meryl Davis & Charlie White (actually I briefly saw someone who could only have been Meryl, and then inferred that the blond guy next to her was Charlie), but no Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig, Tanith & Ben, or the ever-interesting Johnny Weir. Really, NBC? Is Shaun White the only medal hope that you can hype? I feel like with this Lindsey Vonn incident they should have learned by now.

Near the end of the ceremony Bob Costas (I think) remarked that there is "no way you can beat the Beijing ceremonies," but really I disagree. Those Opening Ceremonies were a spectacle, yes, but at the cost of a blatant disregard for the world's resources and driven by an almost maniacal need to show the rest of the world that China was capable of hosting the Olympics. These Vancouver ceremonies were self-assured, sophisticated, and quirky--I loved them. Oh, wait. Minus the slam poet. And John Furlong's terrible, TERRIBLE French.

Also, what on earth? Jacques Rogge is both a count and an orthopedic surgeon?

Okay, EDIT: A technical difficulty during the lighting of the torch is beyond any words I can come up with. No emergency latch? Really? Anything? Although personally I like 3 better than 4...