BelleBrit

These Republicans are the biggest bunch of whiners that I've ever seen about these debates. Has there been a debate in the last like 16 years where they haven't bitched and moaned about the moderators, even before the debate? Joe wants me to believe that journalists from Fox and CNBC are biased against Republicans? The constant victim hood from Republicans about this imaginary media that has it out for them is just outrageously silly.

Ok, I appreciate that Joe said Rubio really wasn't that good, and for telling Nicole that she was wearing black today because of Jeb. The "response" that Joe said Bush should have had for Rubio though.."I showed up to work every day, I'm not like Barack Obama, I'm like Ronald Reagan!" Hehe, I think Joe sees himself as sooo much more clever than the candidates, and it's just embarassing.

Jeb: "My brother kept us safe"..Joe: "That was a great moment for Jeb."....LOL the nerve of these people.

Ok, after hearing that random Pollster lady say again "I think these videos will fundamentally change how the electorate views Planned Parenthood over time", I had to look up her LinkedIn page, and as suspected, Kristen Soltis Anderson is definitely a Republican. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THESE VIDEOS BESIDES REPUBLICANS, just like Elizabeth Warren said, the supposed outrage is all orchestrated. The NBC/WSJ poll did more than show just "reasonable" favorability for Planned Parenthood over the electorate, it is broadly popular with Democrats and Independents. I can't tell if Joe is being purposefully obtuse when he says that Hillary Clinton is "going out on a limb" by defending Planned Parenthood or if he really is that stupid. Again, I dare Republicans to make this an issue in the general election.

About four minutes spent in the opening of the show on the shooting in Louisiana, and then Mika proclaims "And now, on to Trump!", with "Donald Trump calls in to Morning Joe at 7AM!" flashing on the bottom of the screen. More fiction from Joe about Trump "telling an Al Franken joke", Mika claiming that Trump has been taken "out of context at least 50 million times", and now I'm supposed to believe predictions that Trump will fair well with millenials? On the MSNBC front, I didn't watch any of the shows that got cancelled, but I can't believe they are subjecting us to even more Chuck Todd.. Edit: Oh FFS, now Joe is trying to make the Planned Parenthood thing happen, saying that he was surprised at Clinton's defense of Planned Parenthood?! Now this lady (pollster?) says that these Planned Parenthood "videos" could change the politics of Planned Parenthood for young voters, and I officially tune her out. I dare Republicans to make this an issue in the general election, I'm sure it will work out really well for them.

LOL at Joe, actually saying Trump "quoted" (QUOTED?!) a "bad punchline from an Al Franken joke" and then said 20 times over that McCain was a hero. There would be no type of show like Morning Joe if they immediately stopped covering it when a politician apologizes or said they misspoke (which I don't even think Trump did on O'Reily) when they make a gaffe. Willful ignorance from Joe as usual.

I would also love it if Biden ran. Joe would love it too, he could pump Joe up to get a rise out of Hillary supporters, and then when Biden gains ground, go back to slamming him. Remember when Joe (and Pat Buchanan!) were promoting Hillary to comic effect in the Spring of 2008? Whether or not Lawrence is right about his point, I enjoy seeing someone give it back to Joe a bit to demonstrate how thin skinned and defensive he gets.

God I hate Joe so effing much. "The president is taking a page out of George W.'s book with the Iran deal"..."Even liberals in San Francisco are saying that Donald Trump has a point"...I think he really fancies himself a brilliant political strategist, the way he twists logic into the most dumb ass Republican talking points.

Thank you for posting the link, apgold! I tried to do it in my first post about the assignments, but I was having issues so I gave up. Thank you for the explanation on Ashley/Gracie for Skate America, Good Queen Jane.

Gran Prix assignments posted. My personal reactions are: Wheee, Mariah Bell got Skate America! Also, kind of disappointed that they didn't put Mao and Tuk against each other, if only for a battle of the triple axels. Surprised that they have Gracie Gold at Skate America instead of Ashley Wagner, but it looks like Ashley has a reasonable shot at making the GPF with her assignments. Mirai Nagasu got only one assignment as I expected, but I think lots of skaters like skating in Japan, so she will probably be happy with that assignment. Medaling would probably be tough for her though. At NHK, there will be Mao, Satoko, Wagner, Pogo, and Lenova among others. Also, was a bit surprised that Karen Chen only got one assignment so far. Jeremy Abbott has announced that he will skip the GP series to focus on Nationals and Worlds.

Samantha Cesario has announced her retirement. I was never her biggest fan, but I feel badly for her. Despite her technical limitations, she put out some good performances that could have earned her a GP medal in a less well skated event. She also seems to have had lots of struggles with injuries. She likely would have received 2 GP spots next season, so this frees up space for another US lady. edit: Never mind, I thought that it would bump up Karen Chen (or Hannah Miller?) on the SB list, but it looks like Karen was already bumped up since I had last looked at the list. It's always a little bit confusing to me how the GP assignments work. I would like to see Mariah Bell get a Skate America spot. I think Mirai Nagasu will probably get one (and that she may even have to wait to get one from being on the sub list) GP assignment, but it's not looking good for two. I don't even think she got two when she was # 11 on the SB list one year (2012?), but she ended up getting an additional assignment at NHK when a skater withdrew, and won a bronze there (could have been a silver, if they hadn't propped up Mao so much that year. Akiko should have won). I hope she is able to do well in the Summer competitions/a Senior B, and that if she gets a GP assignment, it's one in the late Fall as opposed to early Fall.

Oh, I understand the strategy, I just think it's kind of a cynical one. Ashley seems to get really into the performance aspect of programs, so I was just surprised that she isn't ready for a new program either. She has financial resources to have her pick among choreographers, much more so than other skaters who do not have endorsement money like she does. I watched the Skating Lesson interview with Shae Lynn recently, and was surprised to see that the first idea Ashley had for her program this year was Carmen, and then Shae Lynn suggested Moulin Rouge since it had a similar feel. My guess is that this was the program that Ashley REALLY saw herself winning that Worlds medal with, and that she still thinks it is the one. But I just wish she would show us something else since she could probably turn out something interesting that is different. Liza was successful with Sandstorm and Satoko with Miss Saigon, but I couldn't imagine having to see them go another season with those. I applaud her plan to do more Senior B competitions-I never really understood why she didn't do them-but the program is going to be even more stale to me at the end of the season. Oh well...I'll probably be in the minority. I also wish Josh would pick a different short, but given his propensity for frequent injury, maybe it's a safe bet.

There's a report that Ashley Wagner has said that she's keeping her Moulin Rouge free skate for next season. What do you guys think of this? I guess it makes sense, since she's been successful with it and she's touring this summer, but I just personally do not like it when skaters keep programs from season to season (I think using Samson and Delilah for Olympics & Worlds was a different story last year, I was ok with that because she was having issues with Romeo & Juliet). Even when I like a certain program, I just feel like I am personally "done" with it after a season. I understand that in some circumstances, like when a skater is injured over the summer (like Samantha Cesario with her Carmen, though she technically had Mono last Summer. Still, it kept me from ever really getting excited about that program this year, even though it had been changed up a bit. It also didn't help that she had used Carmen as SP music previously). Gracie switched her SP mid-season last year, so I sort of understood why she kept it this season, but still..by the end of the season I just felt like I'd seen it a zillion times over.

i can give Ashley props for upping her technical content as the season went on. I think at Skate Canada she did not have a triple triple or a triple lutz in her long program. She still underrotates and two foots at times, but she seems to have improved her lutz to the point that judges are giving her the ! instead of the e call. I wonder if doing the lutz toe in the short was part of what pysched her out. Worlds is in Boston next year, it will be very interesting to see how the next season will play out. I would like to see Mirai make a comeback, but it's probably too much to hope for with all of the underrotation calls that she gets. She definitely underrotates, but it frustrates me when she gets all of the calls, and I see others who clearly underrotate to my eye and they do not get reviewed. I liked her programs this year, but I'm wondering if she should use a different choreographer than Adam Rippon for next season. I think she could benefit from having a choreographer who is available to her more of the time to work with her. The choreography was pretty, but she seems so focused on the jumps, at least in the long programs, that her face kind of goes on autopilot. I would love to see her work with Phillip Mills, he is supposedly choreographing for Max Aaron next season so maybe it will happen. I don't need Ashley Wagner level expressions, but some would be nice. I would also like to see Yulia make a comeback. edit: I forgot that Tom Dickson was also helping refine Adam's choreography for Mirai this season. I'm just trying to figure out a scenario where she could really improve her artistry and get some higher PCs to counteract the underrotation calls!

It's great that Gracie and Ashley were able to finish 4th and 5th respectively by coming in 2nd and 3rd in the free skate, but I'm sure that they are kicking themselves. The door was wide open for them to medal this year-Pogo was injured, Elena was sick, and the judges have shown that they want to reward them-but this wasn't their year either. Still glad that they were able to redeem themselves somewhat, Gracie in particular was due for a good LP on the international scene because they have been pretty sucky this season. Her jumps did seem tentative and less "impressive" to me than when she is on fire, but she got the job done. It's been surprising to me how much the judges have "held her up" this year (I think both Ashley and Gracie were held up somewhat in the short) despite errors. But you never know-if they hadn't botched their shorts and known that they were most likely out of the running for medals, maybe they would not have performed like they did in their LPs (same for skaters who did better in their SPs and then fell in the LPs). While I thought that Ashley could have gotten the bronze after her improvements in the GPF and nationals, I wasn't all that shocked that she did not medal either. Some people were getting really carried away on the skating boards and predicting that she would win. Satoko is very talented, but stylistically her Miss Saigon program always seemed a little off to me. It's just a very severe sounding program and it was always jarring to see such a tiny person performing it. Maybe she needs something a bit more youthful, and Polina something a bit more mature? I did like her non-reaction to getting a medal though. You know that if that had been Ashley, Gracie, or Polina, they would have been screaching. While Elena's skating can be kind of ugly looking at times, I really like her attitude. Her coach said that she almost fainted during her long program, but when an interviewer asked her about being sick, she said that it wasn't an excuse and that she fought, but could have fought harder. I think that Polina is really baffled as to why her scores are low, but I can sort of understand why she gets the PCs marks she does, and it's not like she is technically perfect either. She really crawls into some of those jumps, and they often look borderline underrotated. While I could commend them for being honest, it never really endears me to skaters when they start complaining about the scoring (same reason why I found Ashley's complaints about being "gypped" last year obnoxious, since I was already not a fan of her skating to begin with). Polina definitely seems to want it, so hopefully she will do some soul searching about why she is getting these scores despite going "clean",go choreographer shopping, and work to refine some of her jumps. Tuk's SP choreography is hideous to me, but somehow it really works for me in the LP. Her comeback should serve as inspiration to skaters that a lot can happen in one year and that they shouldn't give up.

Phil Hersh of the Chicago Tribune referenced the tape on Ashley's back in his article today: "Wagner was skating with a wrap on her back for a rib problem. According to US Figure Skating, Wagner told Tracey Wilson of NBC that it was an issue she has dealt with in the past and that it does not affect her skating." I also read that Elena Radionova is sick and that she said that this has been the toughest competition for her so far because she felt tired the whole time she was on the ice. I wonder if she will feel any worse by the free. It seems like no one will be able to catch Eliza even if she has a few mistakes, with how far ahead she is from others after the short.

After the ladies Worlds SP, none of the US ladies will be skating in the Final group for the Free skate. Polina is in 7th, Gracie in 8th, and Ashley in 11th. I thought that Ashley would probably underrotate/or two foot/or get an edge call and be 7th after the short with not much of a points spread at worst, but I wasn't expecting her to struggle as much as she did here (though her lutz was actually ratified-after all of the talk about the super strict technical specialist that was on this event, there really weren't too many edge or underrotation calls after looking at the protocol. Polina got an ! on her flip, but no underrotation call on her toe even though I would have given her one, so other than the ! she skated clean). I have to laugh that Gracie had to skate after Liza's amazing performance and triple A! She had to skate after Adelina in the Olympics and Ashley after nationals. Gracie's score seems, um, high despite the issues and no combo. I bet that Polina is very pissed that Gracie is only one point behind her! Ashley and Gracie still had high PCS despite their semi-meltdowns. Ashley seemed very slow to me and not really as into the performance as she usually is, people on the skating boards said that she had her back taped and were speculating about an injury, but I couldn't tell from the video so maybe I will rewatch. I think her fall on the combo really rattled her and carried over into the other jumps. Anna Pogorilaya had a rough fall, she is apparently coming off a sprained ankle injury from last month. I think that all three US girls have the chance to move up in the free, the point spread is not that significant and some of the others ahead of them (Kanako Murakami, Zijun Li) aren't that consistent. That said, I would love if Kanako somehow pulled off a medal. I will laugh so hard if Polina pulls off a medal, which is possible if the others ahead of her implode, but her PCs are still low. It will be interesting to see what they do with the edge calls and underrotation calls in the free. I think that the US ladies will move up at least enough to keep 3 spots.

Yes, popular sentiment is that Liza, Elena, and Ashley will be on the podium in some order, and I agree that it will probably be something like that. Hopefully there will be no implosions with people still getting medals. But I wouldn't mind some surprises. Liza will apparently be trying the triple axel in the short, which is exciting and I think commendable, because the way she has been scored this year even though she had only a triple toe triple toe in the short, I feel like she almost didn't have to try and push the boundaries. If someone had told me at the beginning of this year that Ashley would be a likely contender for a World medal this year, after last Olympics and worlds, I would have thought that they were delusional (I was never in the pool of thinking she should retire, but I thought that's how the wind was blowing), so she should be proud of herself. I am not personally a fan of her or her programs, but on the positive side I think that the success of her Moulin Rouge LP could make other people be more willing to try programs with lyrics, so that we are not hearing the same old war horses. I think people were cautious this year since it was the first time lyrics were allowed. It will be a hot mess, but hey, Elena uses J Lo in her short!

Speaking for myself, I liked Polina's programs a lot more last year, though she still wasn't that exciting to me. I read on Ice Network that her mother (who is also one of her coaches) picks out her music, which was a bit of an ah-ha (not to be mean) moment for me. Polina recently did an interview with The Skating Lesson, and she responded to questions about criticisms of her Peter Pan program. It's obvious (even though her mom picked the music) that she really likes the music and that it excites her. She said that she likes programs that are subtle/thinks of herself as more of a "lyrical" skater, and that lots of times people go for the dramatic music instead of something more subtle. Again trying to pinpoint what doesn't work for me, I think of her as more of a "clinical" skater who doesn't really bring the emotion yet needed to pull off some of these lyrical programs. But she's still young. One thing that I like about the program is that it, for the most part, seems to have transitions. Sorry, the lack of transitions in Ashley's Moulin Rouge program still really bugs me and I think it will prevent me from ever liking that program or rooting for her at Worlds until she adds more in. What does everyone think of Karen Chen's finish at JR Worlds? She came in 8th. I was impressed with her at nationals and definitely thought she had a breakthrough performance, but I actually wasn't that surprised with her finish at JR worlds. She did very well at nationals, but sometimes the scores get so inflated that it gives people unrealistic expectations re: translating to the international scene. She missed the JR grand prix final and competition seemed very stiff at JR worlds, so I wasn't sure about people predicting a podium finish. I still think she has a bright future (and has been injured in the past and could still be getting over it), and it's probably best for her sake that she doesn't ascend the stratosphere too quickly, since we've seen what can happen when kids get the hype when they are so young. Not to further be a worry wart , but her body type worries me. I think that I'm just going to have to get used to the fact that US skaters nowadays aren't going to have that Michelle-Kwan consistency in the COP era.

Yeah, for me the difference is that Ashley seems to acknowledge a lot of what her shortcomings are and that she is working on them, whereas Polina did not seem to want to acknowledge them in the teleconference. But again, she otherwise seems like a sweet girl and even if she were a horrible person it should be all about the skating (plus sometimes it's asking a lot of these women to be so media trained, especially at the age of 16). Hard to know what she really thinks since I'm just basing it on her press conferences. It was just surprising that she gave that response instead of saying that her team is working on it. Though if people are telling her the edges are fine, then I guess I can see why she would have that response? I think I'm just trying to pinpoint what isn't "wowing" me about her, and was wondering if it was my own biases. What she is doing should technically be very impressive to me...even with the underrotation and edge calls, she still landed everything in her LPS on the grand prix. Not sure. Does her skating seem slow to people at times? The triple flip half loop triple salchow is not pretty to me when anyone does it. I do like her spins.

I assume that it's a mix of people watching on Universal, Ice Network, or on Youtube. Since it's over, hoping that people are ok with me posting now... Well I thought that maybe Gracie wouldn't quite keep it together in the free since she has had tendency to double triples/pop some this season, but she did a lot worse than I was expecting her to. It wasn't a Lipnitskaya level meltdown, but she seemed even more "off" this time around than she has at other times this season. Is something else going on? I know that she had the injury, but she seemed to be showing some overall improvement in the LP at nationals as compared to the rest of her season. I'm not even particularly a fan of hers (though she can be enjoyable when "on"), but I was rooting for her here just to keep things spicy leading up to worlds. I do think, both in the SP here and in general this season, that she has been doing some error filled performances that would not have been so generously rewarded if she was a newcomer as opposed to being Gracie Gold. Maybe not medaling here will help renew her focus? I know that lots of people are complaining about her packaging/programs being a component in her not being able to do as well, but I disagree and think it's all mental. As for Polina, good for her, I think that I might be more of a fan of the actual skating if I liked her programs/packaging/personality better. I know the part about her personality is terribly unfair, but I am a skating fan and not a judge so I can admit to being biased. Mostly it was her inability to acknowledge the edge calls on her flips and saying it's a question for "other people" in her teleconference that bugged me. Still, it has to feel good to not only win, but to beat Gracie, since Gracie has kind of been underperforming this season but has continued to place higher than Polina. I actually liked Polina's LP at the beginning of the season (not sure why, I think it was the twizzles), but it kind of fizzled out for me in the end.

Not sure that it would have changed anything, but Mirai had the flu during 4cc last year. I understood why the fed made the decision that they did last year, but I do feel bad for Mirai. Under normal circumstances, what she did would have been enough to get her on the team (plus she was double snubbed by being left off the world team last year). That said, it wasn't Ashley's fault that the decision went the way it did, and at the time the whole debacle seemed to humble her a bit. Ashley and Mirai toured together last Spring, and they seem to have a pretty nice off ice relationship. Back to last night..the highlight for me was Karen Chen. It was great to see a real breakthrough performance. She is so tiny though...scared to get invested. As for the mens, I can appreciate Jason Brown, but I found his sp so hokey!

Listening to Ashley talk makes me miss Michelle Kwan (hides). Sometimes her spunkiness is refreshing, but other times I cringe. That said, despite the ego, I know that her inability to filter is part of what makes her fans love her. Sometimes I think that it's a mental strategy on her part...that the more she talks herself up, the more she'll believe in herself. Sometimes I think Mirai could use a good dose of ego. Speaking of Mirai, it sounds like the injury isn't too serious. Apparently she had a cartilage contusion last month on the knee she fell on, so it got aggravated. An ultrasound showed no serious damage, but they are following up today. She was doing pretty well up until the blade clipped the boards. And now that Ashley is perceived as in the running for a worlds medal, I am rooting for Gracie since Iike the underdog. I was proud that she did the triple triple. Not crazy about her music, but then I don't like Ashley's music either...mostly the slow section where she starts scrunching her eyebrows.

I am heartbroken for Mirai. I hope she is ok. Are Tom Z and Greensboro cursed? I think that's where Joshua Farris skated while injured. Congrats to Ashley for winning the title. Her 2013 win was controversial, so good for her for proving herself here. She may not be my style skater, but she shows fight. I hope Samantha Cesario chooses a non Carmen program next year.

Did not watch, but from what I've read-Gracie did a triple lutz double toe instead of a 3-3. Mirai got an UR call on her 3 toe in the combo. Consensus seems to be that Ashley should be first, but that the score was verrryy high, and that Polina and Ashley were lucky not to have gotten dinged on their 3-3. Ashley did a 3 lutz 3 toe. It sounds like Courtney, who came in 5th, may have gotten the most screwed. We will see what happens in the long. Looks like they were actually pretty generous with the UR calls tonight and let some skaters slide, but of course Mirai got hers, which I'm not sure bodes well for the free.