After the pomp and glitz of the opening ceremony, lying back watching the phosphorescent stars of the milky way..painted on the ceiling....I considered the performance variables of ice skating, the only winter sport with which i have much familiarity at all.....or real, sustained interest. Since skaters use their toe picks to help with the takeoff on toe loops and because the skater's foot is angled, it puts a lot of torque and stress on the foot. So....in all probability Evan Lysacek will not perform a triple toe loop, due to injuries to his left foot; however, his sheer athleticism will compensate for his lack of artistic prowess and sensitivity. He does have the choreography of Lori Nichol, though...and that is great art in itself!.... On the other foot, Brian Joubert is still recovering from surgery on his right foot..Patrick Chan, a Canadian and a subtle artist, may step to the podium.....next olympic, though. Johnny Weir's been pre-occupied with his television series and all the glamour associated with being the first popular gay skating sensation and may be too cocky and self-absorbed to focus on the athletic powers that will take the top two medals, although he will surely perform a beautiful program, but....this is THE OLYMPICS, after all! He is a beautiful, if a bit sway-backed, skater, full of nuance and refinement; however, the extremely well-trained and ambitious Jeremy Abbott who trains with one of my favorite skaters, Yuka Sato, and is mentored by Paul Wylie, another perceptive and expressive skater, rides the confidence of his recent victories....BUT, his confidences sway with his interiorization of emotion, and his face is generally dour and worrisome....and this does not go unnoticed by judges. Jeremy will likely break up and finish, humiliated, out of the running.... Takahiko Kazuka is my dark horse pick, although he is still young and inexperienced. On his heels, the fabulously talented French teenager, Florent Amodio. Three other great talents from past Olympic competitions, Stephane Lambiel, always high on my list of great musical interpreters and, hands-down, the most beautiful spinner....with gorgeous positions and attitude.....if he doesn't fall....he'll be on the podium! The formidable Yevgeny Plushenko, who has been involved in politics and has even been a member of Parliament, has genius that cannot be discounted, even at the ripe age of 28! He knows exactly what it takes to do the job and has been trained by Aleksei Mishin....remember that, Johnny......and he is likely to do quad toe-triple toe combinations that will undermine the confidences of other skaters. Don't discount the Japanese skaters: Daisuke Takahashi, who...if he has recovered from last year's....has a low center of gravity and great speed and jumping ability as well as beautiful positions, and can do the job......AND, Nobunari Oda, the 17th descendant of Nobunaga Oda, who has the technique, sophistication, humility and sense of style to surprise the Western talent, albeit is young and lacks manliness, being yet a boy, still.....but, if four time Japanese National Champion, Daisuke Takahashi, my choice to win, is recovered from his surgeries, he will stand eye-to-eye with Plushenko!, both flanking Evan! Well, that's been all over the place, hasn't it? [But then, Thomas Verner could skate a program without technical errors or falls and surprise everyone, although that is not very likely.....] Not a 'shoe-in' by any calculations! Mark my words!
CD2-Bach Cello Suites by Vito Paternoster
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