Stars on Ice Review - Anaheim, CA - Jan. 18, 2003

It was announced before the show began that Scott Hamilton would not appear due to illness which prompted the entire arena to say "aww"!

Cast - The Great and Powerful Oz
Todd Eldredge landed a nice 3 axel, Todd and Kurt do side by side double axels, but Kurt singled his. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of ensemble skating in this piece...I prefer the openings where everyone is out there in the beginning. And I know the music was by Ozzy Ozbourne, but I can't remember what it sounded like.

Alexei Yagudin - Born to be Wild
The opening segues into this number for Alexei. Alexei landed a nice 3 toe. A fun little number to sort of introduce Alexei to the crowd.

Ina & Zimmerman - Bed of Roses
Interesting that Kyoko starts out doing moves with Alexei before John comes out. They did side by side single axels, lovely lifts including their candle lift. I was a surprised there was no throw, but maybe that's because of her recent injury. Really lovely though...I like how gently John puts Kyoko down in the final pose. I want to see more of them! I do wonder why Jef Billings gave Kyoko the same outfit that the ladies wore in the 2001 finale. Just wondering.

Sale & Pelletier - Come Fly With Me
David begins this piece alone before Jamie comes out to join him. They are so solid and this was a nice airy and light number with a throw 3 loop. I like how they use the lyrics to go with their moves!

Todd Eldredge - Channel One Suite
He was so on tonight landing 3 axel, 3 salchow, 3 toe, 2 axel here. I like the energy of this program and it allows Todd to smile throughout it. I like that he's added barrel rolls to his repertoire too!

Katarina Witt, John Zimmerman, Gorsha Sur - Blues in the Night
Cute number. John and Gorsha act sort of like bodyguards to Katarina, pushing Todd away and later being protective of Katarina shielding her from the audience. Some fun moments and funny moments.

Alexei Yagudin - Overcome
Alexei did a 2 flip, then a 3 toe/3 toe/2 loop combination and another 3 toe. He really takes command of the ice. I hope he will heal completely and have a long career because he is such a talent. Someone had an Alexei banner in the front row.

Meno & Sand - I'm Your Man
Jenni begins by offering Alexei a rose. Several audience members yell "give it to me" and I heard one person say "no, it's for Todd"! Such a cute number, it's a shame she fell on the throw 2 axel. It's hard to notice all the nuances and expressions etc. in person. And yes, I think they did cut this number up a little bit on TV as well as Ina & Zimmerman's since I saw elements not shown on TV.

Kurt Browning - How Do You Keep the Music Playing
This was a very smooth number. Kurt landed a 2 axel, 3 toe, 2 salchow and two more 3 toes.

Todd Eldredge, Sale & Pelletier, Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze - Sing, Sing, Sing
I felt this number comes off better in person than on TV. Todd landed a 3 toe and 2 axel. Jamie and David did a throw 3 salchow. Both pairs do a split 2 twist in synch. The speed of both couples was wonderful in this number. I did feel like some do that a little more interaction between the two would've been nice...a fours death spiral or something, but I guess that's not what the number was about.

Elena Berezhnaya, Jamie Sale, Jenni Meno, Kyoko Ina, Renee Roca, Alexei Yagudin, Kurt Browning, David Pelletier, Todd Sand, John Zimmerman and Gorsha Sur - A Little Less Conversation
High energy number with an incredibly catchy song! The guys really do get into this number. I noticed that the TV version would always focus on Kurt during the parts where Alexei and Kurt would do something (being lifted and their breakout edge moves). Alexei had a little slip on his inside edge move, nothing major. Fun program!

Katarina Witt - The Rest of Your Life
Katarina landed a 2 axel and a 2 flip in this nice slow number. Very smooth and easy number. I wonder why she didn't get a new costume? Oh well, I love purple anyway!

Todd Eldredge - Misere
This was defintely one of the highlights for me. Todd landed a 3 axel, 3 loop, 3 toe and a 3 lutz. This is a classic Todd program and I loved it. The spins and jumps were just great. He really brought up the technical level of the show with his performances.

Renee Roca & Gorsha Sur - The Prayer
Another big highlight for me. Renee and Gorsha are just gorgeous and this number just flows from start to finish. I'm so glad they were added to the show! Beautiful skating

Kurt Browning - Slippery Side Up
I liked this a lot. It was fun. I like that Kurt involved the audience. Audience participation is always good. And it got to showcase Kurt's footwork.

Jenni Meno & Todd Sand, Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman and Renee Roca & Gorsha Sur - Something Stupid
I liked this ensemble. But I felt it was too short and ended too abruptly. Plus I was disappointed they didn't get to bow at the end. Lots of lifts to admire. I wish this would get televised so I could catch all the different things going on in it.

Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze - Elvis Presley and Marily Monroe Medley
This is another number that I think comes off better in person than on TV. They were just so entertaining in this program! Their skating is so beautiful I wish they did a second solo. They did a really nice throw 3 loop.

Jamie Sale & David Pelletier - Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Jamie's dress is so shiny in this program. They did a wonderful split 3 twist and a throw 3 salchow. Their handstand lift was great too...she balanced for a long time on his arm. I like the elements of this program, but I feel the music sort of just dies out at the end instead of having a strong ending note.

Alexei Yagudin - Played-a-Live
I love this program! I just love the music...it's pumped into the arena and it's hard not to tap your feet. Alexei did a 3 flip 3 toe combination (I think....it was on the opposite side), a 3 toe and another 3 toe. And of course Alexei had great footwork and personality too. He's a great addition to SOI and I hope he's around for a long time.

Finale - I Can't Stop
I like the finale, although I always feel like the finale is too short...because I don't want the show to end! Very catchy music and fun choreography. Todd Eldredge, Alexei Yagudin, Kurt Browning and David Pelletier did 3 toes. Each skater briefly bows, if you blink you'll miss someone. And yes, the guys opened their shirts at the very end...but they were too far away from me. It was a very enjoyable finale.