Date released for the 2010 Iditarod Race DVD

The documentary entitled "Chasing History" from Iditarod Insider is set to release June 1! SO EXCITING! Make sure to get your copy!

Mickey speaks @ Character Meet & Greets

not sure how I feel about this. thoughts?

Czisny's new, surprising, direction

With Summer coming on quickly, even here in Alaska, figure skating fans begin to look back on seasons past while waiting to hear the news that determines what to expect for the season ahead. Competitive skaters have been free for over a month to take vacations, finish school, and tour before deciding what's next.

However a few skaters have already given details into what lay ahead for them. The most surprising, to most, following the USFSA skaters is that of Alissa Czisny's announcement that she is not finished with us yet and that she's made the difficult decision to part with her longtime coach and begin taking lessons from 1994 World Champion Yuka Sato and her husband, US National Pairs Champion, Jason Dunjen.

The announcement was made earlier this week in an USFSA press release.

"Having enjoyed taking lessons from Yuka Sato in the past, I am looking forward to working with her and Jason Dungjen as my full-time coaches," Czisny said. "I'm very excited for them to teach me everything they know."

Czisny's skating is very similar in style to Yuka's, where Czisny needs to improve is her mental toughness during competition. Working with Brian Boitano - probably the steeliest competitor the US has ever had other than Michelle Kwan - has not helped the 2009 US Champion, and she faltered this past season, not even coming close to making the Olympic Team.

It's not certain, Czisny's coming season, but a summer alone will probably not show much improvement in the headcase department - not when you consider Jeremy Abbott winning his second National title only to, once again, bomb at the bigger international events following Spokane (aka Worlds and that little competition known as the Olympics). A coaching change may be what she needs to keep motivated, but she won't get the results she's desiring until she gets those nerves under control. Not sure Sato & Dunjen are the ones for the job... but then, who is?

In other coaching changes news, World and US National Champion Kimmie Meissner has announced her comeback and a coaching change. She will be coached by Chris Conte in Virginia.

Movie Review: He's Just Not That Into You

Just finished watching the Romantic Comedy: "He's Just Not That Into You". This was given great reviews, and had a star studded cast. Yay for them.

It's based on a best selling book on Romance and the modern woman's role within it. To me it makes no sense, as basically the moral of the story is - don't wait out for "Mr. Right" so much as "Mr. Right Now" and that anything goes. We have Scarlett (The Harlot) Johanson who is looked on with sympathy as she plays the knowingly "other woman" who helps destroy a marriage. And she gets upset after a while when she realizes the pig played by Bradley Cooper would rather have his cake and eat it too, why any 'other woman' feels this way is beyond me. The guy is a cheater, DUH! He cares for only himself!

Ben Afflec and Jennifer Aniston play a couple who've been together for seven years. Afflec's character does not believe in marriage and makes the argument that who needs a piece of paper to show love and committment. Aniston kicks him out because she needs a marriage. She goes through the rest of the movie feeling she made a mistake, that Afflec was right, and takes him back (he finally asks her to marry him, so it's somewhat positive).

All in all the movie forces morality out the window. At the end it seems those that don't follow God's laws are the ones that win teh most. The wife who's husband cheats on her, and lies about smoking, ends up in a small appartment but throughout the whole movie is the one to blame for why he's left the marriage. She is too strict, not fun, and sees all of this at the end of the movie. Cooper's character comes out looking like teh humorous champ.


This is probably the worst chick flick I've watched in a while. Definitely not one to pick up, IMO.

Did you hear the sigh of relief?

Yeah, neither did I. Guess it just doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. However the few that were waiting anxiously for the decision, need not wait any longer: Rachel Flatt has announced what University she will attend.

Are you ready for it?




Still waiting???




Yeah, you're not reading further down either, because you don't care. But, I will tell you anyway. Because I can.

She's going to be a Stanford Uni. Freshman starting in the fall of 2011. She is taking a year off to, apparently, focus on skating.


Boy, aren't you glad she finally chose and then told the world?????

So much for the Truce.

They're at it again. Just when we thought the boys had become men and faced their differences and gotten over that hurdle and were basically ignoring each other... the media shows up, asks for a few soundbites, and they're back at it again.

That's right Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek's in the press rivalry is back in action. Weir started it by answering a few questions about the Olympic Champion in several articles in the last month. It's actually pretty shocking that he's reverted back to the needless jabs after he seemed to praise Evan - however underhandedly - during the whirlwind of drama surrounding Lysacek's controversial win. Weir didn't side with either Lysacek or Plushenko in that debate, but he didn't dispute the outcome either.

It's no secret that Johnny Weir is miffed over, what he considers, a snub SOI gave him by not adding him to the cast line up. I have my own feelings on that one - SOI traditionally has a certain number of male performers to female. SOI also likes skaters who 'toe the line' when it comes to PR moments. SOI likes skaters to get along. SOI wanted an Olympic Champion. Evan gets the bill, Johnny can't play nice so he stays home. - but that's beside the point. Johnny has started the debate on if SOI is 'homophobic'/'bigotted' because of his 'appeared sexuality'. Well, Johnny, it's only 'appeared' to those of us not in the 'inner circle', but if you don't want people to assume you are one way, maybe you shouldn't hit every stereotype in the book.

Johnny's jabs also extended to particular skaters, not just the tour management. Scott Hamilton and Evan Lysacek have - apparently - fallen into his sights and there's no stopping his blasting them.

Evan followed suit over the last week and blasted back at Johnny saying his skating wasn't up to par. He has since retracted his earlier quotes, but the damage is done, and I'm sure Johnny is sitting at home in his bubble bath with his boy toy smirking away. That Evan would allow the media and Johnny to get under his skin, is not overly suprising, but it is disheartening. Though I can't totally BLAME him for speaking out, at the same time he needs to stick with facts and not just try to insult his insulter. It doesn't work that way especially when we all know (including, I'm sure, Evan) that Johnny's SKATING or even his PROGRAMS are not what keeps him from SOI.


I'm disappointed in the boys this week. I'm not surprised at Johnny showing his true colors once again, but I'm still bummed and annoyed. so much for maturity.

I was humbled today...

Today on my lunch break I made my way over to Midtown to get Burger King. Yeah, I'm on a very unhealthy junk food kick lately. But that's not the point today. As I got back onto Northern Lights after going through the drive through, I noticed a few homeless men standing on the corner. They are always there and I'm always pondering if I shouldn't give them something - not money, but maybe my fries, and today was no exception.

This afternoon, though, a family pulled up next to me waiting for the light to change so I could turn and head back to the office, and they honked their horn, rolled down the window and had a couple of hot meals to give them. A FULL MEAL, not some fries, or a bag of chips.

Why am I not more outgoing and willing to do this? It was humbling realizing just how selfish of a person I am. Sure I'll pray for them, but I still look at them thinking they are just wasting their lives and our time. That they're all smelly drunks who dirty up Anchorage. I'm sure 99% of us think that. But they're still human, and at any moment that could be someone I actually know. Life changes just that quickly and challenges come up that we aren't prepared for.

Here I am griping about how much a dog's vet bill is going to be - yet I'm blessed with a job and a place to live that gives me the priveledge of being able to afford a dog. I gripe about situations at work and yet I still have that job.

It was eye opening to say the least.

The Brian Orser Debate

Poor coach Orser, he's found himself in a little bit of media controversy this week. The rumors are flying thanks to a couple of less that reputible Korean media outlets saying he has agreed to take on Yu-Na Kim's main rival Mao Asada on as a new pupil. He's being hit hard by Kim's fans/supporters for not even considering her needs, wants, whatever in his decision. Mind you, all three parties are denying that any such arrangement has been made, but because the Korean Tabloids have proclaimed it, it's being taken as Gospel.

Say what you will about Orser as a skater, or a coach, but one thing he is not, is stupid. There's no reason for him to choose to take on Asada when that would mean a move on one of their parts, he's in charge of the skating program at his rink - why would he want to leave that for Japan? Mao Asada's main coaching issues are she does not want to live anywhere else but home. So hmmmm. This does not seem like a smart move.

Skating message boards now have a conspiracy going that it's IMG that is calling the shots - and not the Japanese federation - because they "hate" Yuna and want only bad things for her. Because Orser was once an IMG skater, it makes sense that in passing it was brought up, but I can't see this being anything but rumor fodder brought on by the Korean media to play up this rivalry that has gotten so old that I can barely stand to go on message boards.

I have a feeling it's going to be a long off season. *sigh*

Movie Review: Death at a Funeral (2010)

Thursday night a friend and I had a girls night and went out to see the new comedy, Death at a Funeral starring Chris Rice. It definitely had us laughing - sometimes to the point of tears - but it is not for the faint of heart, and certainly deserves its R rating for language alone (there is also drug use, nudity, and sexual situations).

Chris Rock plays the dependable and responsible son who is tasked - as the eldest son normally is - with being in charge of his father's funeral. The first scene shows Rock waiting for the funeral home to deliever his father's casket to the living room, whereupon he remarks "that's not my father." which sends the Funeral Director out to "one of two locations that he MIGHT be." This, in turn, sets teh course of events that make the funeral go from bad to worse as Rock's family begins to arrive.

The first half of the film, for me, was rather slow as there were many characters teh film had to introduce. Each having their own issues, personalities, and mini stories that were to play out during the film. We meet Tracy Morgan and Luke Wilson - best friends who are also family friends of the deceased's family. Morgan is a hypocondriac who has about as many brain cells as he has fingers. Luke Wilson is an unemotional, self-absorbed workaholic who's main focus is on keeping up appearances without working at all. They are set up with the task of picking up the deceased's brother played by Danny Glover (who completely stole ever scene he was in). Glover is a grumpy old man whose body has failed him. He's in a wheel chair, but carries a cane, and doesn't have a nice word to say about anyone. Poor Morgan's character gets saddled with Glover throughout the film, and it's a perfect combination of insanity.

Zoe Saldana & James Marsden are a bi-racial couple who are on their way to pay respects to Saldana's uncle. Marsden is nervous because her father is none too happy with their partnership, so when they go to pick up Saldana's brother (played by Columbus Short) he takes what Saldana thinks is a valium. It's later revealed that Short's character - a pharmacy student - has a little drug making business on the side and what Marsden thought was a valium is infact ACID. Marsden's subsequent drug trip is probably one of the most comedic parts of the film.

There's also a scene involving Tracy Morgan getting pooped on by Danny Glover and the whole disgusting scene goes on for about four minutes in which the entire audience is laughing too hard to lose their cookies (but you really want to). Again this is just one of the few gems that made the movie actually worth watching.

The film is actually a remake of the 2007 movie of the same title which was directed by Frank Oz (you know, Jim Henson's right hand man... the voice of Yoda in the Star Wars films). That movie, like this one, is not something to really write home about. And sadly is not one I will be buying to add to my collection.

The movie MIGHT have made it to my collection if it weren't for the fact that the language is just thrown in there for, I don't know, a higher word count. The F-bomb and Mo-Fo phrase were used so many times that I couldn't even keep count if I'd wanted to. There was no reason to use it other than the fact that they didn't know what else to say. It could be argued that it made sense in a couple of scenes where road rage or indignation happened, but it was thrown around like a common every day word. This is by no means a family friendly film, and was not good enough elsewhere to be able to glance over the swearing.

Overall, if nudity, sexual situations (did I mention that the deceased had a midget gay lover?), and language don't bother you - wait and rent the film when it comes out on DVD. If not, skip it entirely.

Had a great time with my friend, though. We can make anything fun (we survived Anthro 101 that way!).

Oh those... pants...

The other night a close friend and I were reliving my childhood ;) (sorry, girl, I had to give ya a hard time on that one hee hee!) and thinking back to some of the great moments skating brought in teh 'early stages' of our friendship. That's right, one of my closest friends I have never met face to face but I love and adore her like a sister (maybe more so because I'm a rotten sibling lol). She is a joy and a blessing and I guess, in a way, we have figure skating (or maybe just Kurt?) to thank for that.

I got back into skating fandom in 1999 after Scott Hamilton and Katarina Witt got together and brought a skating show to Anchorage Alaska. I got online, looked up all I could on the sport... and found a great friendship with several people on a little skating board called Skate Forum (one of the original skating centric boards that is now gone. I miss it.)

Anyway in a round about way I'm getting to the main topic of this rambling. I met "Binky" on skate forum on my first day, and she was so sweet and it wasn't long before we were IMing each other, emailing, and sharing random inside jokes on the board. One of our main topics that we had MANY inside jokes about was none other than Kurt Browning. Yes, I'm going to talk about him again. If you're shocked, well, I don't know how you could be.

Last night while I was converting old tapes to DVD I came across a competition where Evgeny Plushenko (you know, that Russian skater who's still P.O.ed that he wasn't just handed the gold medal in Torino.) skated to Nyah from the Mission Impossible soundtrack (you know, that movie with another stuck up celebrity as it's main character - ie Tom Cruise, he knows medicine better than Matt Lauer, cuz he reads books).

That got Binky all fired up as the ONLY skater allowed to skate to that music is, of course, Kurt Browning - who has a signature piece with that very music. It was choreographed by a dancer who is in the same Ballet Company as Browning's wife... and it's quite possibly the closest a skating routine will ever come to actual DANCE on the ice.


Thank you, Sonia Rodreguez-Browning for making your husband go to the gym and bulk up. In the words of my 'sister': Mmmmm. Shoulders. ;)


But this program is NOT the one I want to gush about... at least not tonight. No, tonight I do not want to talk about the Artist Browning... but the Playboy Browning. In his 'role' in SOI Kurt normally found himself as 'the playa' or playboy of the troupe. Most women (and some men) didn't complain, we'd take all we could get. One of Kurt's 'big break' numbers was to the song "Brickhouse". The show's costume designer, Jef Billings, went all Saturday Night Fever for the number putting Kurt in a flowing cut down to there polyester white shirt... with midnight blue SKIN TIGHT pleather pants. All the girls swooned and a professional star was born.


My brother used to know all of the choreography by heart and would 'skate it' on the kitchen floor in his socks. Duane absolutely ADORED Kurt growning up, and still considers him a sports hero (doesn't hurt that Kurt sent him a gift for his birthday in 2006 - no one is more genuine than Kurt).

But, still, that is not my most swoon worthy. No. A few years after the Brickhouse sensation (and a score of memorable numbers such as Serenade to Sonia, Summertime, and Antares... to name a few) came "Brickhouse 2" which was skated to "Play That Funky Music (White Boy)". It's teh first program I can remember drooling to. I was 13 or 14 at the time and had just - apparently - discovered what made all of the ladies on TV start screaming and swooning the minute Kurt took the ice.

There were those midnight blue pleather pants (but with a brown cut down to there polyester shirt). Oh. my. word. It's probably the most swoon worthy - for me - of all of his pieces (ok, swoon is not the word. Let's face it, when I watch this program I am in full out lust mode. Especially when the butt wiggle happens lol). He can play sweet, sassy, masculine... he can do it all... but he took it to a whole new level with Funky Music.


Oh... those... pants.