This year I was able to see all three Southern California shows, San Diego, Anaheim and LA. I have to say, this years SOI show is the best show I have seen in at least the last five years. I was concerned that I might not be able to sit through the show three times back to back, but every night there was something new I hadn't noticed the night before. I am going to just do a combined review of the three to make things easier.

We were very lucky with our tickets this year. We had on ice tickets in San Diego and Anaheim and third row center in LA. All three shows had decent size crowds. The lower bowls were always full and there were quite a few people sitting in the upper decks. In both Anaheim and LA, there were quite a few skaters in the audience. Every show got a wonderful reception from the crowd and people really seem to be enjoying the show this year.

The guest stars for our shows were Scott Hamilton and Oksana Baiul. This isn't the first time Scott has been our guest but it is the first time since I started attending the show that he has not received a full standing ovation either before or after he skated. Of course the crowd was happy to see him but nothing like in the past. To be honest, I would have rather seen Kurt or Paul. I wasn't too please about Oksana Baiul being our guest skater either. I saw her perform horribly for too many years on the COI tour and the thought of doing that again was not pleasant. But to my surprise, Oksana skated very well. I don't remember the last time I saw her actually land jumps and look like she was having a wonderful time on the ice. Now I still think she is a bit odd and her programs are sometimes very weird, but I will give the girl credit for being able to get her life together and that was nice to see.

Last thing before the review, I also got the opportunity to watch practices before the San Diego and LA show. This was quite the treat. After attending many competitions practices over the years I thought I kind of knew what to expect, but I have to say the atmosphere was very different. I missed the first pair practice both times which was disappointing since I wanted to see S/P and I/Z. I was told the S/P spent a lot of time working on the Ballroom number trying to fix some problems. The other practice session had all the other single skaters and Meno and Sand. In San Diego, the whole cast also came out and worked a bit on the finale to add Scott back into the number since this was his first stop since Lake Placid. Todd's session really wasn't too much different from his eligible days. I now know why the guy skates as well as he does in shows, he actually still practices. Scott was very funny cheering Todd on whenever he would land a triple axel. I'm still not sure how Todd is able to land that jump on the smaller ice because sometimes he got so close I thought he would land off the ice. Yuka was another skater who really worked hard at practice as did Jenni and Todd. In LA, Katia was there practicing with the cast and learning the finale. I thought maybe she was added to the show but then Oksana came out. She also worked on her programs with was a nice addition to the practice. This was a really neat experience plus we were treated so nicely by the Stars on ice Head of Security and Tour Manager, it just made the whole experience that much better.

Now onto the show:

Sunrise-Grand Canyon Suite- I really liked the opening number this year. At first the color of the guys costumes really bothered me but by the last show I guess I had gotten used to it. I really liked how the show started out with just Yuka and then brought out all the lady skaters. They have really done a much better job incorporating all the pair teams this year and some of the tricks they were doing were incredible. The other part I really liked was the mirror skating that Todd and Alexei do. It worked well so the show didn't look odd when Todd had to take off in the opposite direction just to jump. I really don't think this was the most difficult opening I have ever seen, but I think it worked.

In the Mood- This was an OK number but nothing great. I remember seeing Scott skate this years ago and it is not the same. He got a good crowd reaction every night but no standing ovations.

Timing is Everything- This was the first of the time pieces. We saw Scott working on this at practice to make sure he knew exactly where the water would fall. David Pelletier is such a funny guy so this piece worked well for him. One night there was a problem with the sound so it didn't exactly work right, but it was funny.

Look at little sister- This is such a wonderful program for John and Kyoko. There are so many difficult lifts and transitions in it and is incredibly fast paced. We laughed when they landed side by side double axels and a throw triple twist that they could have won Nationals this year. During the San Diego show, the ice must have been wet because as Kyoko came out of the death spiral, her hair was soaking wet. Overall this was a really fun number for them and really showed off John's personality. They really seemed to be enjoying themselves in this number.

Metronome- This was a really neat transition from a fast upbeat number to a slower number. Todd's costume was fine, I just really didn't care for the eye patch.

Misty- I am not sure what to say about Yuka. She is just such a wonderful skater to watch. She is a skater that I would never get bored watching. Her jumps were great but it is her in between skating that is just incredible. I am so pleased that they asked her back and I sure hope they plan on keeping her a long time because she is such an asset to the show. I would have liked to see her skate another number in the show, but considering she is in almost every transition piece, I guess I can understand why she just has one number.

Come Away with Me- I was a bit upset when I heard that Jamie and David weren't doing there Queen number for the SOI because I really liked that program, but this number won me over. Those two skaters have the most wonderful connection between the two of them and it really shows in a number like this. They did some wonderful new lifts in this program and Jamie's throw jump was right on. I'm so impressed how well they have transition into the pro world with so many different types of programs they are trying and they just seem to get better and better each year.

Hands on Time- OK this is my only problem with the show. This number is way to long. It would have been effective if it had been short like the other transitions but this number drags on. Plus Jenni, Yuka and Kyoko are never together and when you are skating with florescent pink clock hands, it is very noticeable. I wish there was something they could do to fix it but I'm not really sure what it would be.

Flamenco- I had been hearing mixed reviews of this program and I wasn't sure what to think of it when I saw it on TV for the World Team event, but seeing it live was a treat. I won't say it is one of Todd's best programs, but I really enjoyed it. Sitting on the ice, you really see how fast Todd skates and now that he is comfortable with the program, he is really moving. He lost his balance coming around a corner one night so it really shows how fast he is. I'm pretty sure he has added some choreography to it because I didn't notice too many gaps and I really like how he hits triple axel right with the music. He landed all of the jumps in San Diego and Anaheim but came very close to the edge on the ice with the triple axel. He did double the axel in LA and really didn't look to please with himself. Overall, he got a great reception from the audience with this program all three nights.

Ain't it funny- Didn't care for this program at all but at least Oksana is landing jumps. She really has a lot of speed going into the jumps and she either landed them or two footed all of her jumps. Compared to a few years ago, what an improvement. She did make a weird yell at the end of the program in San Diego, but once again that is Oksana.

Let Me Fall- I am so happy to see Elena and Anton skate a real program this year, not the Elvis thing they did last year. They had a horrible night in San Diego where Elena had a nasty fall on a throw and then Anton just lost an edge and they tumbled over each other. It was a bit scary for a minute as I thought one of them was going to step on the others hand. Anton was very embarrassed by the time the program was over. The were much better in next night in Anaheim but then Elena fall hard again in LA. It is a beautiful program when skated well but all the mistakes really hurt it.

Memorial- I like Alexei but this program is horrible. There is absolutely nothing to it but skating around. Now I know his hip is still bothering him, but come on, this was just bad. There are a few moments with some good footwork, but other than that, I was not at all impressed. I would have rather sat through Overcome for the 600th time than this program.

TGIF- I was so happy to finally have SOI go back to the entire cast group number again and not have poor Todd stuck reading a poem again :) We have come to the conclusion the guys (minus Alexei) must have a contest to see who can get the jumpsuit off the fastest. One night Todd couldn't get it to come over his one skate and one night Anton just had problems with the entire jumpsuit. The thing I really like most about this number is it really shows the guys having fun. I truly believe they are all having a great time out there on the ice and it is really showing. Todd seemed to be having a wonderful time out there clowning around with everyone. My favorite part had to be the Be number two part, where Todd Sand is trying to romance Jenni while Jamie Sale is standing off to the side all upset. In LA, Jamie happened to be standing in front of Jeff Billings who made her laugh when she was supposed to be pouting. It was very funny. Todd Sand once again got to be is goofy self in the number and very fun to watch. I thought this was a very effective way to end the first half.

Second half-

Work'n Time- All I have to say is we finally have a good prop number, Yeah! This number was very fun. Todd, Alexei, David and John we having so much fun out there I think they sometimes forgot they we doing a show. It was a well done number and the guys really did some neat tricks with the brooms. I really, really liked this number.

Shall We Dance- Very typical Jenni and Todd but a nice number. I didn't care for the version of the song but they are such a nice pair to watch. In the beginning they had pictures on them on the ice, but I was never high enough to actually see them. I'm really wondering if this will be there last year on the tour and if it is, they have been a great addition to the show.

When you come back to me again- It took me three nights to finally put my finger on it why I like this program so much. It is Todd doing what he does best. It was this type of skating that made me a fan in the first place. People are always saying he should try new things, I agree but sometimes it is nice to see him just skate. I loved this program in Toronto at Kurt's show and I think it has gotten even better. The best night was the Los Angeles show. Not only did he land one triple axel, but he then threw in another one at the end, in spotlights nonetheless. For heavens sake, we have eligible men who can't do two triple axels yet Todd is doing it on a tour. He got a huge reaction from the crowd that night. We were sitting in the middle of a lot of VIP's and you could tell that the two axels did not go unnoticed. I even heard a guy behind me say, "when did he get so good!" He skated this program well in San Diego but barely hung onto the triple axel. In Anaheim he doubled the axel so he changed the double axel later in the program to a triple. I was so impressed at how well he is skating and that is hasn't decided to take it easy now that he is pro. This is definitely become one of my favorite programs.

Timely advice- This a very cute number with Yuka, Todd Sand, John and David. The guys are all hilarious and it was neat to see Yuka doing different pair moves with the three guys. This was another well done program.

Kalinka- Very typical Russian pair skater program but it does work well for Elena and Anton. Once again Elena was having trouble with her throw jump and almost landed in our laps in San Diego. She had so much momentum she had to jump of the ice and then back on. That was a bit scary. They must have worked on it the next day in practice because Anton moved the throw to more center ice.

Swan Lake- This is a good program for Oksana. You can really tell she feels the music and her jumps were good. Once again, I was very impressed!

Ain't that a Shame- This is a much better Alexei program plus he looks like he was having fun. In San Diego we saw that during his program that he would leave the ice and lay on someone lap during the program. The next night in Anaheim, we were just kidding around that we would be the luck ones who end up with Alexei. I guess I should have never said that because as soon as he stepped off the ice, he looked right at us. I even had my legs crossed and before I knew it he was on my lap. The whole thing was pretty funny.

Ballroom- This is such a wonderful number for Jamie and David. David is such a crack up in this program and Jamie does such a wonderful job with it. The funny thing is prior to the San Diego, I had heard they were changing parts of the program so they were just starting to get used to it. Whatever they did in San Diego must not have worked because it was a little different the next night and then different once again in LA. I'm looking forward to seeing it in Canada to see how it finally ends up.

Only One Life- This was a nice number for Scott but unfortunately his jumps are all but gone. Even his double axel isn't always there. I like the idea of the guest stars but I really believe the core cast has really improved and may be getting to the point where they will be able to hold the show and not need Scott to skate. I have always liked Scott and it is sad to watch his skating go downhill.

Time- I liked the finale, but like the opening, I don't think it was the most difficult I have seen. I really liked how they started the finale the same as the opening with Yuka. There is always so much going on it takes a few times to catch everything.

I really had a wonderful time at the show this year and I think SOI is finally headed in the right direction. There is very little I didn't like about the show this year. I liked how they stuck with the theme and I thought all of the transitions worked well. I think the cast is enjoying the show more than they did in the past and it is really showing on the ice. I don't remember the last time I saw Todd so happy and having so much fun on a tour. I'm already looking forward to seeing the Canadian version and I will be curious to see how they work around the cast changes.

--Leanne