[Article] - Two shows will decide who’s on 'Thin Ice'

Think of it as reality on ice: "Thin Ice".

The new skating show on ABC, which airs this weekend, is being televised live from Foxwoods. And it's being hosted by Elisabeth Filarski Hasselbeck, who grew up in Cranston, gained fame on "Survivor" and parlayed that into a career on the talk show "The View".

The idea here is simple: skate. But do so beautifully. And let the audience be the judge of that.

"We've been called 'Dancing with the Stars on Ice'", says Terry O' Neill, the show's executive producer. "That's an accurate description except there are no 'celebrities' in our program."

The people in the program are all professional, competitive skaters: five women and five men who are paired off and asked to compete as couples.

As a reality show goes, "Thin Ice" is a little like the "Contender", which took a group of professional boxers, including, in 2005, Peter Manfredo of Johnston, and paired them off to see who would be best.

"Our concept is amateurs can't skate nearly as well as the best professionals in the world," O' Neill says.

The goal is entertainment. There are no rules. Whatever's pleasing prevails.

"I don't know how many rules there are for the Olympic skating, maybe 300 of them," Hasselbeck says. "The criteria here is to entertain us. That subjectivity will make for a very interesting competition."

Hasselbeck is hosting the show with Kurt Browning, a four-time World Champion. The panel of judges will be Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi and Dick Button, all Olympic and World Champions. Button, at 80 years old, a longtime TV commentator, is considered the statesman of figure skating.

There’s also another panel of judges: viewers. The decisions of each panel will count 50 percent in determining the winning couple, who will receive $60,000.

The series is just two shows. The first airs Friday at 8 p.m., and TV viewers will be able to cast votes by phone. The second show airs Sunday at 7 p.m., and because of the limited time following the last commercial break, only viewers in the audience at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods will cast votes.

“You have to give credit to the viewers,” Hasselbeck says. “There is a smart audience out there.”

Some of the competitors’ experience is in pairs skating, some of it is in individual skating. But that’s not what’s most important, according to Hasselbeck.

“A lot of it comes down to chemistry,” Hasselbeck says. “I don’t think an advantage is in anyone’s hands.”

Over the last few weeks the teams have been practicing on their own, when they can, where they can.

“It’s a criss-crossing of the globe that’s going on,” O’Neil says.

While the shows are televised live, the program also includes four rehearsal sessions: Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Hasselbeck will be on live television Friday at 11 a.m., on “The View,” receiving a skating lesson from Yamaguchi, one of the official judges of “Thin Ice.” So Hasselbeck has been practicing.

“She has me at hero status,” Hasselbeck says. “I hope I learn enough that I don’t fall in front of her.”

In addition to the skating competition, the program will offer a skating demonstration by Joannie Rochette of Canada, who won the Olympic bronze medal a few days after her mother’s sudden death. Though Rochette withdrew from next week’s World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy, saying she is emotionally and physically unprepared, she will perform a tribute to her mother at Friday’s “Thin Ice” show.

For tickets to attend a session of “Thin Ice,” $40 to $100, visit mgmatfoxwoods.com or call (866) 646-0609. The two live telecasts on Channels 5 and 6 are Friday at 8 p.m., with the show starting for the rink audience at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 7 p.m., with the show starting for the rink audience at 6:30 p.m.

Here are the pairings Marie-France Dubreuil, five-time Canadian ice dancing champion and World Championship silver medalist, with Michael Weiss, three-time U.S. champion.

Shae-Lynn Bourne of Canada, a World Championship ice dancer, with John Zimmerman, a three-time U.S. champion and bronze World medalist.

Jamie Sale of Canada, a World and Olympic champion in pairs, with Patrice Lauzon, five-time Canadian champion and World silver medalist.

Elena Berezhnaya, an Olympic World champion, with David Pelletier, a Canadian, World and Olympic champion.

Shizuka Arakawa of Japan, an Olympic champion, with Stéphane Lambiel of Switzerland, a World champion.

Posted on 16 Mar 2010 by RaChEl_R86 | 0 Comments

[Video] - Stéphane & Shizuka rehearsing for Thin Ice

Enjoy it! 

Posted on 16 Mar 2010 by RaChEl_R86 | 0 Comments

[Article] - Ex-Olympians team up for the fun of it

Former Olympic figure skaters Stephane Lambiel and Shizuka Arakawa, right, work out with artistic director Lea Ann Miller at the Municipal Ice Rink in Norwich on Monday. Lambiel, the 2006 men's silver medalist, and Arakawa, the 2006 women's gold medalist, are among 10 skaters who will perform in the "Thin Ice" competition at MGM Grand at Foxwoods that will be aired live on ABC on Friday and Sunday.

(click to enlarge)

In the Olympics, Switzerland's Stéphane Lambiel and Japan's Shizuka Arakawa skate as singles - Lambiel says he's a little small to be lifting a partner, while Arakawa says she's too tall for her male counterparts.

But the two now-retired Olympians are learning to skate as a team - with fun, hip-hop moves thrown in - for a reality skating competition called "Thin Ice," which will air on ABC on March 19 and 21.

Since the show is being filmed in the Premier Ballroom of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, the pair of skaters came to the Norwich ice rink to rehearse Monday.

"It's so different, you know. When I compete for the Olympics I have rules, I need to do all the elements of my program," Lambiel says. "And here, it's about fun, it's about dancing on the ice."

Lambiel, who placed fourth in men's singles at the recent Vancouver games and won silver in 2006, and Arakawa, who earned a gold in women's singles in 2006, are now retired from the sport. But working with hip-hop choreographer Hi Hat, they transformed the dance moves into an ice routine.

"Figure skating is a sport but it's also an expression of yourself," Lambiel says. "It's like dancing. There is beautiful, classical ballet and there is incredible hip-hop … so you can really do the same on the ice."

The pair will compete against other couples, all of whom will be judged by former figure skaters including Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi and Dick Button.

"I hope," Lambiel says, "that all the crowd is standing up and dancing with us."

Posted on 16 Mar 2010 by RaChEl_R86 | 0 Comments

[Article] - Thin Ice

'Thin Ice,' a reality TV figure-skating competition, will be held March 18-21 at the MGM Grand

Eight years ago, the figure skating world was embroiled in an Olympic judging scandal that would prove the nail in the coffin of the 6.0 system and give the world four gold medalists in pairs skating.

Apparently, time can heal all wounds, because Russian Elena Berezhnaya and Canadian David Pelletier, gold medalists on the opposite sides of the 2002 scandal, will be teaming up in "Thin Ice," a reality show/ skating competition to be held March 18-21 at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods and broadcast live on ABC.

The 2010 Olympic bronze medalist Joannie Rochette, of Canada, will also stop by the competition.

Rochette will perform a tribute to her mother, who died just days before she could see her daughter medal in Vancouver. The routine will air March 19.

The show will feature 10 world-class skaters from all four disciplines, paired up and given a simple set of instructions: "Entertain us."

The 'us' are viewers — whose votes will count for 50 percent of the scores — and judges (and Olympic gold medalists) Kristy Yamaguchi, Dick Button and Katarina Witt.

Yamaguchi is already looking forward to seeing what chemistry Pelletier and Berezhnaya have.
"How can you compete against that?" she said.

All five sets of partners will be new to each other. Some will be new to partners skating entirely, such as 2006 ladies Olympic gold medalist Shizuka Arakawa, of Japan, and 2006 men's Olympic silver medalist Stephane Lambiel, of Switzerland.

'Musical chairs'

Because no teams were allowed to stay together, the competition sheet reads like musical chairs. Pelletier's professional partner (and wife), Jamie Sale, will be paired with Canadian ice dancer Patrice Lauzon, whose professional partner (and wife) Marie-France Dubreuil will skate with American Michael Weiss.

American John Zimmerman, 2002 world bronze medalist, and Canadian Shae-Lynn Bourne, 2001 ice dancing gold medalist, complete the field.

Button likes that, with no real rules and all-new partners, "Thin Ice" gives any of the teams the chance to knock out the crowd.

"I'm fascinated to see how some skaters skate with others," Button said. "When you really reduce it to a situation like this, 'entertain us,' then you're breaking through the dam … and the creativity's going to flow."

The televised portions will be on ABC from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 19 and 7 p.m. to 8.p.m. March 21 with Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Kurt Browning co-hosting.

Seven live shows will be held March 18-21 at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods.

Posted on 16 Mar 2010 by RaChEl_R86 | 0 Comments

[Photos] - After Party of Art on Ice 2010

 

Posted on 16 Mar 2010 by RaChEl_R86 | 0 Comments

[Article] - Stéphane Lambiel: "I like to be busy"

In an exclusive interview with Swiss Skater Stéphane Lambiel, he remembered the Olympics and told about their programs and return to Moscow.

Stéphane Lambiel determined chose not to compete, only on shows. At the World Championships in Turin, Stéphane wasn't there. His tour schedule is replaced by another one, the American commercial project Thin Ice, in essence, give up the opportunity to return next season: according to the rules of the International Skating Union, Stéphane is banned from participating in competitions.
"My goal was the Olympic Games" - Stéphane said immediately after Vancouver. The main thing for him now is an opportunity to be on ice.

After one of the Art on Ice shows in Zurich, Stéphane talked with the reporters.

You look tired. Tired after a show or still not yet used to the European time after Vancouver?
- Actually I had one week with a cold and for me it's a little difficult to maintain a schedule during a tour with all the rehearsals and performances. But anyway, we have a great time. I like to skate with Anastacia's song - she's a very nice woman and her many passions, not only she sings but also goes on ice with me. For the first time during the show I have such strong impressions of the speech, and this is what I'll remember this time with Art on Ice.

Posted on 15 Mar 2010 by RaChEl_R86 | 0 Comments