Good Queen Jane

Two international competitions will be taking this week. For Seniors, it will be the Nebelhorn Trophy, one of the Challenger Series events, and for Juniors, it will be the Junior Grand Prix of Poland. Entries in the Nebelhorn Trophy will include: MEN: Max Aaron – USA, Grant Hockstein – USA, Michal Brezina – CZE, Elladj Balde – CAN, Florent Amodio – FRA, Peter Liebers – GER, Konstantine Menshov – RUS LADIES: Courtney Hicks – USA, Mirai Nagasu – USA, Kaetlyn Osmond – CAN, Alaine Chartrand – CAN, Mariko Kihara – JPN, Alena Leonova – RUS PAIRS: Scimeca and Knierim – USA, Volosozhar and Trankov – RUS, Sequin and Bilodeau – CAN, James and Cipres – FRA DANCE: Chock and Bates – USA, Cannuscio and McManus – USA, Paul and Islam – CAN The Nebelhorn will mark the return to international competition of Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada and Volosozhar and Trankov of Russia after sitting out last year due to injury. Chock and Bates are the heavy favorites to win Dance. For the JGP of Poland, the U.S. entries will be: MEN: Alex Krasnozhon, Tony Liu LADIES: Akari Nakahara, Megan Wessenberg PAIRS: Liu and Johnson, Weinberg and Fernandez DANCE: McNamara and Carpenter, Carreira and Ponomarkeno The ISU will post the video of skaters at the JGP of Poland on it’s JGP channel on YouTube at: ttps://www.youtube.com/user/ISUJGP2011/videos. Usually, videos of individual skaters performances at the Nebelhorn Trophy show up on YouTube within a day or so. It’s only about a month until the Grand Prix Series starts with Skate America in Milwaukee. It’s time for skaters to get serious about polishing up their programs before the major competitions begin. And if you haven't heard the news, Evgeni Plushenko has announced that he had another surgery on his back and that he will not compete in any ISU events this year.

I assume that's a typo on the date of the episode and not that it aired in June.

The first of the Challenger Series competitions for Seniors takes place this week in Salt Lake City. The U.S. International Figure Skating Competition will be held September 17-20. The Challenger Series competitions have several purposes. For skaters who are scheduled to compete in the Grand Prix series, these competitions give them a chance to perform their programs in an International competition and determine what improvements/changes might be needed before the Grand Prix starts. For other skaters, this is an opportunity to get minimum required technical scores in order to qualify for Europeans, Four Continents and/or Worlds. Some skaters are in the Challenger Series because these are the only international competitions at which they can compete. Among the other major competitions in the Challenger Series are the Nebelhorn Trophy and the Finlandia Cup. The field for the U.S. International is mainly skaters from the U.S. and Canada, or skaters who train in the U.S. and Canada. None of the top-ranked skaters have chosen this event, but there are some interesting skaters to watch nonetheless. Among the entries are: MEN: Timothy Dolenksy-USA, Richard Dornbush-USA, Ross Miner-USA, Michael Christian Martinez-PHI, Keiji Tanaka-JPN, Alexi Bychenko-ISR LADIES: Mariah Bell-USA, Karen Chen-USA, Angela Wang-USA, Veronik Mallet-CAN, Satoko Miyhara-JPN, Kanako Murakami-JPN, Elizabet Tursynbaeva - KAZ PAIRS: Castelli and Tran-USA, Donlan and Bartholomay-USA, Kayne and O’Shea-USA, Moore-Towers and Marino-CAN, Jones and Reagan-CAN DANCE: Hubbell and Donohue-USA, Thomas and Eaton-USA, Paradis and Ouellette-CAN Since this is a U.S. Figure Skating sponsored event, icenetwork.com will be live streaming the competition to subscribers. The schedule for the live streaming is as follows: ALL TIMES LISTED ARE EASTERN Thursday, Sept. 17 7:30 pm - Pairs Short 8:45 pm - Men’s Short Friday, Sept. 18 12:25 pm - Short Dance 2:15 pm - Ladies Short 5:45 pm - Pairs Free Skate 7:30 pm - Men’s Free Skate Saturday, Sept. 19 6:20 pm - Ladies Free Skate 10:15 pm - Free Dance The skating season is starting to get into full swing. It’s time for Senior skaters to start polishing up their programs and showing what they can do.

Icenetwork has announced it will provide live streaming coverage of the JGP which is taking place in Colorado Springs this week to season pass subscribers. The schedule is as follows (All Times Listed Are EASTERN): Thursday, Sept. 3 5:30 pm: Men’s Short Program 9:45 pm: Pairs Short Program Friday, Sept. 4 12:30 pm: Short Dance 3:15 pm: Ladies Short Program 8:30 pm: Men’s Free Skate Saturday, Sept. 5 12:00 noon: Free Dance 2:50 pm: Pairs Free Skate 5:15 pm: Ladies Free Skate For those who don’t have an Icenetwork Season Pass or can’t watch the live streaming, the video of each skater’s performances also will be posted on YouTube on the ISU Junior Grand Prix channel.

Wayne going into the audience is always fun. I guess he's comfortable doing it because of his Let's Make A Deal job. And I also liked his preview of his Kinky Boots gig by putting on (kind of) the lady's boots. The ED song with the entire cast during Scenes From A Hat was hysterical. It's fun seeing Aisha joining in.

But Rachel's name was on the paperwork (although why a law clerk's name was there is a whole 'nother discussion) and Mike is her live-in fiancé. So I assume any investigation of Rachel would include an investigation of Mike. I agree with those who think that Mike's arrest has nothing to do with The Secret. If it did, they would be leading Harvey and Jessica out in handcuffs too, since the charges were conspiracy to commit a fraud. It probably goes back to Mike's work as a hedge fund trader, nothing to do with the firm. Whatever it is, Harvey will get Mike off.

I always like it when they interact with the audience. They should do Purses again. And I would really enjoy a whole episode of Greatest Hits. I would like to see a few more song variations. Ryan seemed bored with this game the last few times, though. I wonder if he's tired of being the set up guy.

I wonder if they will edit out his comment.

A Zygon Companion would be really cool! Classic Who had a number of alien companions.

Is this the Kids Week where the one little darling's mother made such a big stink about a fairly innocuous comment made by Alex that he had to apologize later?

The skating season starts for real -- at least at the Junior level – this week with the first Junior Grand Prix event of the season. The Junior Grand Prix of Slovakia starts on Thursday. The U.S. will be sending competitors in the Men’s, Ladies and Dance events (no Pairs at this Grand Prix). Below are the list of U.S. Juniors who will be “kicking things off” this year: MEN: Kevin Shum and Vincent Zhou LADIES: Emily Chan and Vivian Le DANCE: Biechler and Dodge and Parsons and Parsons Vincent Zhou was the U.S. Junior Men champion in 2013 before taking time off due to injury and school, while Vivian Le was one of the winners at the Broadmoor jump competition earlier this summer. Parsons and Parsons were the U.S. Junior Ice Dance silver medalists at 2015 Nationals, and finished 4th at the 2015 Junior Worlds. The U.S. team will be facing some formidable competition from the Russians, Japanese and Canadian skaters, and you never know what unknown talent might emerge from another country’s program. It should be an interesting competition to start the season. The ISU will be posting video from this, as well as all of the other Junior Grand Prix events, on its Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/isujuniorgrandprix For those who might be interested in attending, the Junior Grand Prix of Colorado Springs starts on Thursday, September 3. Let the games begin!

Although there has been no official announcement, the U.S. Pairs team of Denney and Coughlin are planning to retire from competition, according to Michelle Kennedy of the Examiner’s figure skating reporting team. Caydee Denney has been dealing with the lingering affects of torn ligaments in her ankle and knee since the spring of 2014. This has prevented her from doing jumps and throws. While she has been rehabbing her injury, both Denney and Coughlin have moved on to other things – Denney to coaching, and Coughlin to coaching, doing commentary for icenetwork, and working with the John Wilson Blade Company. Both feel that their competitive days are now over, although they plan to do ice shows from time to time.

It's also a world where a paralegal/law clerk is referred to as an associate, where someone with no experience handles a multi-million dollar divorce, and where hundreds of clients in a class action lawsuit can all come to an agreement on a settlement overnight. Reality,what a concept!

He has lots of time on his hands because it's not like he has a real job. Sigh. Alex, Alex, Alex.

I know better than to think this show has any basis in legal reality, but a 900 page Complaint and a trial date scheduled a week after it is filed? There is so much "no" here that it really is silly. No wonder so many people are okay with nonlawyer Mike continuing to practice law. Must keep repeating "It is only a TV show, it is only a TV show,..."

Maybe I watch too many procedurals, but the ending seemed anticlimactic to me. I kept waiting for it to turn out that some rich collector had faked both the burning of the painting and the suicide of the forger. Occam's razor indeed! Good to see you again, Agent Jones/Burns! I hope you stick around for a few more episodes.

More updates: U.S. Pairs skater Simon Shnapir has announced his retirement from skating, citing chronic back pain as a major factor in his decision. Shnapir was U.S. Pairs Champion twice when he skated with Marissa Castelli, and represented the U.S. in the Sochi Olympics. However, Castelli and Shnapir ended their partnership at the end of the 2013-14 season. Shnapir skated last season with DeeDee Leng, while Castelli has formed a team with former Canadian Pairs Champion Mervin Tran. Shnapir and Leng were planning to compete this season. However, Leng recently suffered a concussion after falling in practice on a throw triple flip, and Shnapir has experienced some back injuries lately. The Pair decided that, for health reasons, continuing to compete was not a good idea. That’s when Shnapir decided to call it a career. Shnapir has been doing some coaching while he was training and competing, and now plans on going into coaching full-time. He also is exploring becoming a technical specialist and is interested in getting into broadcasting as well. In addition, he plans to volunteer to help the Local Organizing Committee prepare for the 2016 Worlds in Boston.

Memo to Show: A legal secretary and a paralegal have two very different skill sets. There is no way Rachel could take over Donna's job, even temporarily, nor is there any way that the firm would want her to (paralegals bill for their time; secretaries do not.) Also, unless things have changed drastically since I was in law school (which admittedly was a long time ago), tests are only given once or sometimes twice a course and count for your entire grade. Missing a test is a really big deal.

To the surprise of no one, U.S. Ladies skater Christine Gao has announced her retirement from competitive skating. Gao said she had considered retiring after the 2014 Nationals, where she finished 8th, but changed her mind when she got two Grand Prix assignments last year. One of those assignments was the NHK Trophy in Japan, which was the only Grand Prix event Gao had not competed in. So she decided to give skating one more year. Gao finished 11th in Ladies at the 2015 Nationals in Greensboro. Gao is doing an internship at Opus Bank in California this summer before returning for her Junior year at Harvard, where she is majoring in economics. Gao also plans to coach one day a week at the Skating Club of Boston, and to be part of the organizing committee for Harvard’s annual “An Evening With Champions” skating show. Rachel Flatt graduated from Stanford on June 14 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in psychology. She is planning to stay in Palo Alto for the next year to do some research and apply to medical schools, as well as to spend some time coaching skating. Rachel’s father is a biochemical engineer, and her mother is a molecular biologist. Flatt indicated she is applying mostly to medical schools on the West Coast because she would like to stay in California. So, there really is life after skating (cough*Jeremy*cough), and in the case of Gao and Flatt, that life includes studying at some prestigious schools to prepare for doing significant work out in the “real world”. Best of luck to both of them.

I kept thinking he had bad teeth or dentures. His smile while he was playing looked like he was trying not to show his teeth. However, he had a charming smile when he won.

The number of skaters each country can enter into the Grand Prix events is determined by the standings at last year’s Worlds. For example, based on last year’s placements in Men at Worlds, the U.S. has 12 entries into the six Men’s events, while Canada has only five entries. Additionally, each country hosting a Grand Prix event get a “host country selection” in each discipline for their event. It’s always interesting to see who is and who is not on the list: - As posted by BelleBrit, Jeremy Abbott of the U.S. has announced he will not compete in the Grand Prix this fall, but rather will concentrate on Nationals and Worlds (if he makes the U.S. team). That’s a bit of a risky move, doing your programs for the first time at those major events. Usually skaters like to have at least one Grand Prix assignment in order to get feedback from the international judges on their programs, as well as see how they match up with their competition. - Evgeni Plushenko of Russia has not followed through on his pledge to compete in the Grand Prix this season (what a surprise), although Russia still has a “host country selection” available for the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow. Plushenko is on Russia’s list of skaters who are eligible to receive international assignments this year. - Patrick Chan of Canada will compete at both Skate Canada and Trophee Bompard in France; at Skate Canada, he faces off against Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. - Nathan Chen of the U.S. does not have a Senior Grand Prix assignment. He is still young enough to compete on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, although last year, he opted to do just one competition in the Junior Grand Prix. - Reigning U.S. Champion Ashley Wagner will not to compete at Skate America. Traditionally, all the U.S. reigning champions compete at that event. However, Gracie Gold has a higher World Ranking than Ashley Wagner, which means Gold got first choice on which events at which she wanted to compete. Wagner will compete at Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy in Japan. Gracie Gold will compete at Skate America as well as at Trophee Bompard in France. - Mao Asada of Japan is returning to the Grand Prix; she will compete in Cup of China and the NHK Trophy in Japan. - Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada apparently is fully recovered from her broken leg, and will compete at Skate Canada and NHK Trophy in Japan. - Adelina Sotnikova of Russia, the reigning Olympic champion, does not have a Grand Prix assignment. The reports were she was going to compete this year (she’s on the Russian Federation’s list of international competitors), but so far, there is no indication that she has returned to training. - U.S. Pairs Denney and Frazier did not get a Grand Prix assignment. Denney is recovering from knee surgery, so the feeling must be that they will not be ready to compete by October. - Castelli and Tran of the U.S. received two Grand Prix assignments; Leng and Shnapir did not get a Grand Prix assignment (although there is still a “host country selection” in Pairs available for Skate America). Reports are that Leng competed at Nationals last January with a cracked pelvis (ouch!), and while she has recovered, the injury has put them behind in their training for this season. - The Russians are sending Stolbova and Klimov, Kavaguti and Smirnov, and Volosozhar and Trankov to two Grand Prix competitions each. Apparently Stolbova and Klimov now feel they are ready to compete again. You will recall, they skipped Worlds last March because “they felt they couldn’t be competitive” (I still think there is more to that story).

Several skaters (or former skaters) are using the June “off season” to get their love life in order: - Former U.S. Pairs Skater Rockne Brubaker married former Italian Pairs Skater Stefania Berton on Saturday, June 5, at Lake Lawn Resort in Lake Delavan, Wisconsin. Brubaker’s brother Collin (U.S. Dance) was his best man and former U.S. Men’s Champion Ryan Bradley was one of the groomsmen. Among those in attendance were U.S. Ice Dancers Evan Bates and Charlie White, along with former U.S. Men’s champion David Santee. - Canadian and World Pairs Champion Megan Duhamel married her long-time coach Bruno Marcotte on Saturday, June 5, at The Reefs Resort in Bermuda in front of a small group of family and friends. Guest at the wedding on the beach included her Pairs partner Eric Radford, Canadian and now U.S. Pairs skater Mervin Tran and coaches Richard Gauthier and Nick Young. Duhamel and Marcotte have been dating for five years. - Italian Pairs skater Ondrej Hotarek (who formerly skated with Stefani Berton) and Italian Ice Dance Champion Anna Cappellini will tie the knot in late June. - Czech Republic Men’s skater Michal Brezina and Danielle Montalbano, a U.S. skater who now competes for Israel, have announced their engagement. The couple have been dating for about 2 1/2 years. No date has been set for the wedding but Brezina said it will likely be early in the summer of 2017. - Russian Olympic and World Champion Pair Skaters Tatyana Voloszohar and Maksim Trankov have announced their engagement. Voloszhoar and Trankov have been a couple both on and off the ice for several years. No date for the wedding has been announced. Ah, ain’t love grand?

I give props to the folks at Fun Home, who got cut off way too soon so they could have Jersey Boys end the show. They just went center stage and danced with the chorus to Oh What a Night and seemed to be having fun doing it.

Divya should have no problem with the baby in car issue. Besides all the other things posters have mentioned, she swiped her credit card to pay the meter, which will show exactly when she got there and that she was in eyesight of the car during the emergency. But of course we will have months of child endangering and custody drama to go through. I really hate this storyline as leaving kids in a locked car is a real problem, but if one of the show's main characters does it, it will be considered okay and everyone overreacting.

So nobody notices Divya doing surgery on a bench while across the street two police cars and multiple bystanders gather around a car with a baby in the back seat? And why would Boris build a Bat Cave in the hospital when he has a perfectly good ginormous estate where he can do anything in private? It may take me a while to get back in the mood for this show.