Disclaimer: As always I was taking some pictures (though not as much as usual) so I might have missed some things. Also please forgive any odd turn of phrase below - I'm currently typing this as I sit and wait for my flight on the crowded post-Thanksgiving airport - not exactly conducive to coherent thought.

Prior to the show start they've got canned music that all have Time in the title or something along those lines. Periodically 'the announcer comes on and makes some corny joke of one kind or another. The one I remember was about 'Do you want to join SOI as a touring member? We're holding our first tryouts at the World Championships in March. Further rehearsals will be held in Turin in 2006. Practice, practice, practice.' Completely corny, but fun.

Act I

Overall: The show this year qualifies as a good show, some weaker moments (mainly the guest stars) but overall good. The thing is the whole 'new theatrical experience" theme of Time was a bit of a joke. Yes, there were lots of mini bits in between the numbers that all had something to do with time, and yes they were very funny. But none of the solo numbers had anything to do with time, except possibly Meno & Sand. So there's no new "experience" - it's just SOI all over again only with the mini numbers having and overall theme. It was definitely enjoyable but disappointing in that based on their heavy theme promotion I was expecting a bit more time related solos. For the time mini bits all the skaters had variations of black and white costumes - very reminiscent of the "Red Hat" ones from a few years ago. They were all adorable! Also as for the guest start integration thing - don't count on it. Oksana was in the finale from the start and Scott joined partway through - that's it - no other group numbers.

"Sunrise - Grand Canyon Suite" - Ferde Grofe
GCS has always provided skaters with some excellent music choices and the opening is no exception. The number starts off with just Yuka on the ice in this gorgeous fuchsia dress doing all these long edge moves. She's gradually joined by the rest of the ladies in various shaded of pink and orange. The only hideous part was when the men took the ice - their costumes are all two shades of salmon - *blech* I don't think a single one looked good in the color - though the costume design was very nice. Highlights included all four pairs doing the same style lifts in crossing patterns across the ice and Todd & Alexei doing mirror jumping passes.

Scott Hamilton - "In The Mood" - Glenn Miller ORchestra
Ok, I will admit my bias right at the top - I don't like Scott Hamilton, never have. But even so I've been able to appreciate some of his work. I just don't understand why a skater so obviously past his prime would bring back a piece of music that he's done before so that it only reminds you of what he used to be, not what he is. And all I could think of during this number was that Scott used to be so quick around the ice, but this night he was just crawling along. He did over do a series of double axels back to back that was pretty nice. The crowd gave a huge standing ovation at the end, though I just didn't know why.

David Pelletier - "Timing Is Everything"
For some reason I'm drawing a complete blank on what David's little Time skit was - not a clue.

Ina & Zimmerman - "Look at Little Sister" - Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble
This is a fun rock-n-roll piece for the duo - a nice chance of pace from some of the ballads they've done recently. While it's not going to make the top of my list for I&Z numbers it was loads of fun. Lots of attitude from John. tons of great lifts that had Ina flipping around and over - very impressive! Gives a nice high energy kick to the show.

Todd Eldredge - "Metronome"
Todd's Time costume was a Sgt. Pepper style: black pants with two panels of black and white vertical stripes, a black band-leader type jacket with the big shoulders and the while braid hanging down. Plus one white trimmed black top hat. An excellent look for him. For this bit he comes out holding an oversize metronome meter in his hands that he swings upright back and forth. As the meter goes left he cocks his head to the right and vice versa. It stars out at a quick tempo (probably matching that of Ina & Zimmerman's piece) and then Yuka comes out and stops the metronome, slides the weight higher and starts it again so it's now at a much slower pace to match her upcoming piece.

Yuka Sato - "Misty" - Jane Monheit
Can someone please explain to my why the only woman full-time soloist in the show has only *ONE* solo number? That makes *zero* sense and completely under-utilizes Yuka's great skating! But this number was beautiful! Very soft female ballad and even with the soft music you couldn't hear a single rough edge out of her blades. And of course her jumps were just beautiful, with lots of flow out of each one. Costume was sort of a lilac color with silver beading on the bodice and around the neck - very pretty.

Sale & Pelletier - "Come Away With Me" - Norah Jones
Pretty program, but seemed basically "Come Fly With Me" with a new move or two. I really wish they'd gotten to do their Queen number instead of this one - it's a 100 times better (and heck - it even fits the Time theme - Who Wants to Live Forever). But that said, it was a pretty program with their big lifts and graceful moves and was performed well.

Ina, Meno, Sato - "Hands of Time"
The three girls are in B&W tops and short skirts with big lace crinolines (sp?) under them. They all looked very cute, but I think Kyoko's was the best one - fit her to a tee. In their hands they're holding hot pink oversize clock hands which they move along to the timed beat as hey skate around. It was a bit longer than necessary but still well done and interesting.

Todd Eldredge - "Flamenco" - Steve Stevens
I know I'll probably have turn in my Todd fan membership for this, but *ugh* this was just a bad program. It was really empty with not much choreography going on. It might be new, but it just needs more - more spins, more footwork, more movement. The worst moment though is when the music speeds up to a big crescendo where he lands the 3axel. Not it's a perfect moment for that, but unfortunately he stops all footwork to stroke for 3/4 of the ice to pick up enough speed. The last 45 seconds were pretty good, but overall I was pretty disappointed in the program. And sadly Jeff Billings didn't help matters - the costume was ugly - all black with 6 thin vertical stripes of red trim down the front. *blech* Jumps were all big a powerfull though. He crashed on the 3axel but nailed a huge one in retakes.

Oksana Baiul - "Ain't It Funny" - Jennifer Lopez
I admit it - I never liked Oksana either and about 40 seconds into this program I completely tuned out. SHe did need several retakes for jumps though.

Meno & Sand - "Time For An Olympic Champion"
A very short piece with Todd making his first appearance and his costume is sort of a revolutionary war look, with striped shirt, white knee-length pants and tri-corner hat. He comes out and flourishes a scroll which he tries to read and then has to turn it around cause it's upside down. His message? "Time for an Olympic Champion" This was the weakest of the Time transitions I think.

Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze - "Let Me Fall" - Josh Groban
This was a really nice program from this duo. Elena took a very painful looking fall on the throw, but nailed it easy as pie in the retakes. The program really highlighted their style for moving as one - spirals and ina bauers and the like. A really enjoyable program. And it was all done in beautiful navy costumes with red/black glitter designed buckles down the front - simple and effective.

Eldredge, Ina & Zimmerman - "Jailbird"
Ok, I admit it, I love corny jokes, so this one really just had me laughing out loud. Todd and John Zimmerman come out (his costume is white pants, b&w striped shirt and white suspenders) and they're followed by Ina who now has 3 oversize yellow feathers sticking up out of the back of her skirt and she's holding a small set of vertical white bars. And the joke goes: "She's doing time - I don't get it - You know, with the feathers and the bars - she's a Jailbird! - I still don't get it" It was written better but it was Todd and John's expressions that just made the thing so funny. Hope it makes the broadcast.

Alexei Yagudin - "Memorial" - Michael Nyman
Hmmm this music is always Grishuk & Platov to me (one of my favorite's of theirs) but Alexei did a good job with this. Now the skating was all good - several nice 3toes, lots of great footwork and spins, but the program struck me as nothing more than a retread of "Overcome" - same style of music and very similar choreography. Nice, but I'd have liked something a bit different (especially considering how many damn times he skated Overcome).

Ensemble - "TGIF" (Steppin Out, Is She Really Going Out With Him, Fools in Love, I'm The Man, Be My Number Two, Jumpin' Jive) - Joe Jackson
I missed the start of this program having to run out to deal with a contact lens problem, but I caught the second half from the edge and that part was really fun. It's a Jive in theme and features the guys in solid color shirts and suit jackets with the girls in solid color dresses with black overlays. Very bright and upbeat. IT was one of those numbers where something seemed to go on all over the ice. Lots of clowning around from all the skaters with fun tricks and unison bits. I really need to see it again from the beginning, but it was a fun way to end the half.

Act II

Eldredge, Zimmerman, Yagudin, Pelletier - "Work 'n Time" - Art of Noise
This was *very* cool! Think good use of props a la Chairmen. It was Todd, Alexei, Zimmerman and Pelletier out there as "ACME Corporation" folks in grey overalls who punch in at the time clock to then clean the factory floor with push brooms. THere were lots of great tricks with the guys flipping their brooms to each other and doing these wild footwork bits that had them swinging the brooms around them on the ice and stepping over them as they swung by - very tricky! Plus Alexei got picked up on the brooms and carried by David and John. It was all very intricate and looked really cool!

Meno & Sand - "Shall We Dance" - Joan Ryan
Unfortunately this was a program that just sort of deflated the mood a bit after the upbeat broom number. Not to mention it was probably the worst rendition of this song I've ever heard. It was all sort of a sappy romance number about falling in love. Jenni and Todd however performed really well with lots of graceful lifts and a beautiful death spiral. It's just they've done the love theme before and better I think. I'd really almost like to see the same skating with just some better music to it.

Ina, Sato, Berezhnaya - "4x2=8"
The girls are out in their B&W dresses again, this time with hot pink fuzzy earmuffs on it. The 'joke' was obviously something about Time Tables, but I don't think that made a lot of sense. Cute, but that's about it.

Todd Eldredge - "When You Come Back To Me Again" - Garth Brooks
wow! Wow! WOW! I loved this program at Kurt's show but if possible it was 5 times better here. I really think that Todd connects to the lonely sort of longing in this program and it really comes through in the skating. Lots of power - huge jumps, super fast spins and that effortless stroking. There was also a really neat portion that had Todd go down on his knees and then lean back and skid to a stop - very effectively done to the music. Got a huge round of applause and a partial standing ovation.

Scott Hamilton - "Out Of Time"
Scott comes out to do his piece only to be interrupted by the announcer who says "I'm sorry Scott but Todd's applause went on too long, we're out of time. We'll call you when we find time for you" Really only worked because Todd did in fact get a partial standing ovation for it.

Sato, Zimmerman, Pelletier, Sand - "Timely Advice (Sunscreen)" - Baz Luhrmann
This is sort of a musical set of advice. I know I've heard it before and seen parts of it on all those dorm-room type posters. Things like "always wear sunscreen" and "don't read beauty magazines for they'll only make to feel ugly" "laugh" etc. Might even been from Robert Fulgram's "All I Needed to know I learned in Kindergarten" or one of those books. It was sort of a silly number with the skaters hamming it up or striking poses that fit the music. The men were in unitards like gymnasts with white pants and a horizontal tank style stop in bright orange/green sunny colors. Yuka was in a dress of the same colors. There were a lot of things going on and I will shamedly admit I missed a lot of them as I was sort of stuck on watching John - needless to say he was great But I did notice that David has a big tattoo on one shoulder - anyone know what it is?

Ina - "Show You To Your Seat"
Ina is now wearing a red ticket-taker type hat and has a flashlight. She walks B&S out along the edge and then out onto the ice to their 'seats'

Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze - "Kalinka" - Traditional
I'm curious, is there some law that every Russian has to skate to Kalinka at some point in their career? And while I like the music and I liked B&S, all I could think of was how I missed Bechke & Petrov - their version put this one to shame. They did have great costumes - red with gold and white crystal beading around the edges. They also had some nice lifts with one move where Elena does something like a cartwheel over/around Anton's arm - very cool move.

Scott Hamilton - "Take Two"
Scott again tries to come out for his number only to be told it's not time yet.

Oksana Baiul - "Swan Lake" - Tchaikovski
See my first comments on Scott and doing old programs. I never like the program in 94 and it's not grown on me the slightest. Needed retakes on 3 jumps *sigh*

Ensemble - "Rock Lesson"
This is Todd, John and some others who come out in their Time costumes (plus black sunglasses) to teach the audience how to be a rock fan - from head banging to the move with the leg behind you and one hand behind your head. It was pretty funny.

Alexei Yagudin - "Ain't That A Shame" - Cheap Trick
THe rock lesson led right into Alexei's number - he comes out and joins the rock lesson before they leave him alone on the ice. This was basic rock-n-roll number with lots of high energy footwork, some 3toes and audience mugging. Nothing really ground breaking, but that's ok - it was loads of fun and Alexei played well to the audience.

Sale & Pelletier - "Ballroom" - Strictly Ballroom
This is the comedy number about ballroom dancing, complete with voice-overs. It starts with David being introduced at center ice 3 times without his partner while you hear his voice-over (where is she? I hate ti when she does this.. etc.) then finally he's joined by Jamie. I forget their characters names, but during retakes Scott told us that it was french for Green Eggs and Ham - too funny. Jamie and David play comedy really well and this was no exception - absolutely hilarious! Lots of tricks - two big twists and some nice lifts. They needed a retake for the throw but it didn't hurt the program. This was one of the highlights.

Scott Hamilton - "Only One Life" - Michael Feinstein
Ok, while I tend to gripe about the self-serving schmaltz Scott tends to skate to, this one was better - mainly because it was all about his new son. I know I saw a 2axel and 3toe at one point. Nice program.

Finale - "Time" - Mike Verda / Stuart Kusher
The finale had everyone in white and was similar in style to the opening. While it was a very nice group number, I didn't really feel that the music built to any conclusion so it didn't send off the show with a bang (and slow can - just look at the What a Wonderful World number a few years ago). It was good but a little unfulfilling.

Also of note, both Brian Orser and Steven Cousins were in the audience (sitting next to each other in fact). During the retakes Scott intro'd lots of people, one of whom was Brian (though he'd moved by that point). But my gripe is that he intro's his wife - who happens to be sitting right next to Steven's wife and never intro'd Steven - *grrrrr*