Good Queen Jane

Wasn't it lucky that there just happened to be cameras filming at Surprise Ride when Kevin made his totally unexpected telephone call? Or that a possible partner for the Coop coincidentally was coming the same time that Barbara was there to talk them out of franchising? I wish we didn't have to have all the reenactments of things clearly decided. The Sharks and the entrepreneurs are just not that good as actors.

Below is the broadcast schedule for Worlds on NBC, NBCSports Network, icenetwork, and the CBC. I’ve also added information about a broadcast after Worlds is concluded. Please note a couple of things: - NBC is providing the live telecast around the world to countries who will not have their own cameras in the arena. As a result, people in the U.S. get the benefit of having a live broadcast too. Unfortunately, a lot of the live broadcasts are during the day, so if you are working or have plans next week, remember to set your DVR. - Except for Saturday night, which is on NBC, the live broadcasts in the U.S. are going to be on NBCSPORTS NETWORK (NBCSN), not Universal HD which provided coverage of the Grand Prix and other skating events. Check your cable or satellite listings for the NBCSN channel in your area. - NBC and NBCSports Network will be showing only the last groups in each discipline. Icenetwork will provide coverage of all groups in an event, including the “not ready for primetime skaters”. Here is the schedule of broadcasts for Worlds. All times listed are EASTERN. As always, check your local listings for the times in your area: NBCSPORTS NETWORK Wednesday, March 30 12:00 noon - 3:30 pm: Short Dance (live) 12:00 midnight - 2:00 am: Men’s Short (tape delay) Thursday, March 31 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Ladies Short (live) 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Free Dance (live) Friday, April 1 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Pairs Short (live) 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Men’s Free Skate (live) Saturday, April 2 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Pairs Free Skate (live) Sunday, April 3 2:00 - 4:30 pm: Exhibition of Champions (live) NBC Saturday, April 2 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Ladies Free Skate (live) Sunday, April 10 3:00 - 6:00 pm: Recap of performances and results ICENETWORK LIVE STREAMING Wednesday, March 30 10:45 am - Short Dance 5:00 pm - Opening Ceremony 6:15 pm - Men’s Short Thursday, March 31 12:10 pm - Ladies Short 7:30 pm - Free Dance Friday, April 1 1:15 pm - Pairs Short 6:45 pm - Men’s Free Skate Saturday, April 2 12:45 pm - Pairs Free Skate 7:00 pm - Ladies Free Skate (Groups 1 & 2) Sunday, April 3 2:00 pm - Exhibition of Champions CBC (Note: Broadcasts on Tape Delay in Western Time Zone) Wednesday, March 30 2:00 pm - Short Dance 9:00 pm - Men’s Short Thursday, March 31 4:00 pm - Ladies Short Program 9:00 pm - Free Dance Friday, April 1 3:00 pm - Pairs Short 9:00 pm - Free Dance Saturday, April 2 4:00 pm - Pairs Free Skate Sunday, April 3 2:00 pm - Ladies Free Skate 8:00 pm - Exhibition of Champions For those not going to Worlds, you will be able to watch a lot of the competition at home. For those going to Worlds, start setting those DVRs for the competitions you want to watch again when you get home.

Sorry. The rules refer to double, triple and quad jumps as separate jumps. So yes, a double lutz is a different jump from a triple or quad lutz. Here's the actual ISU language: Repetitions: Any double jump (including double Axel) cannot be included more than twice in total in a Single’s Free Program (as a Solo Jump or a part of Combination / Sequence). Of all the triple and quadruple jumps only two (2) can be executed twice. If at least one of these executions is in a jump combination or a jump sequence, both executions are evaluated in a regular way. If both executions are as solo jumps, the second of these solo jumps will receive 70% of its original Base Value. Triple and quadruple jumps with the same name will be considered as two different jumps. No triple or quadruple jump can be attempted more than twice. If a third repeated jump is executed in a combination or sequence, the entire combination or sequence will be treated as an additional element and therefore not considered (but this element will occupy a jump element box if one is empty). By the way, Men get 8 jump passes and Ladies get 7.

There already is a limit of the number of jumps a skater can do in the Free. There can only be 7 jumping passes. There can only be three combinations. A jump can only be done once alone and once in a combination. A number of skaters have been given no credit for jumps because they tried to add some and lost count.

I agree that it will turn out that Stewart is right, but the way this show is going, everyone will congratulate Dean for figuring it out.

I thought I had made peace with the fact that the Suitsiverse had no basis in legal reality, but, people, federal court is for trying people for federal offenses and selling 2 TVs, even stolen ones, is NOT a federal offense. (of course, as I've said before, neither is what Mike has been charged with, but I've accepted that.) Federal trials are in federal courthouses, state offenses are tried in state courthouses and never the twain shall meet. And if Jessica and Harvey want a mistrial, why don't they bring up the fact that the US attorney violated a restraining order and approached Louis? Prosecutorial misconduct is always a good way to get a mistrial if not an outright dismissal. Since the restraining order was mentioned in the previouslies, I really thought that's where they were going. One more episode and then our long national nightmare will be over (please).

Some comments on watching the videos from 4CC: Paradis and Ouellette of Canada had a “wardrobe malfunction”. He was doing a rotational lift with her when her dress broke open at the neck and the right side of the dress flopped open. He immediately stopped and shielded her and then helped her snap the dress close. Then he skated over to the referee, who apparently told them to skate on. They finished the program but didn’t do the last choreography lift because they ran out of time. They got no points for the choreography lift plus a 3 point deduction for an excessive interruption. Pretty harsh since he was only trying to shield his partner from embarrassment. Still, they managed to finish 6th, just ahead of Muramoto and Reed of Japan. The Men’s Short isn't pretty. Kevin Reynolds of Canada had 4 falls including one on a spin. Ross Minor had two falls and one invalid element. Hardly any of the Men had a clean program. BTW, Troy Goldstein is the Technical Specialist for Pairs and he must be fast on hitting the time clock. Three Pairs got a 1 point deduction in the Short for going over time – Yu and Jin of China, Iliushechkina and Moscovitch of Canada and Castelli and Tran of the U.S. You’d expect that early in the season, but by now, the Pairs should have their time pretty well set.

The Shibs score at 4CC was 181.62. Papadakis & Cizeron's score at Europeans was 182.71. Different judges, of course, but it bodes well for the Shibs at Worlds, especially since they will have the home ice advantage.

The problem is that both the US and Canadian Nationals are held the third/fourth week in January. Europeans is held around the same time. US Nationals will never change the date as long as NBC has the contract. NBC likes to have Nationals the weekend before the Super Bowl so it doesn't conflict with football (although this year it was the same weekend as the conference championships since the Super Bowl was late this year.) ISU rules require countries to send the National Champion in each discipline to 4CC unless there is an injury. That's to keep 4CC from being a consolation prize for those who don't make the World team. I'm not sure how Adam Rippon got around this requirement.

Only two more episodes. I don't know if I can last that long. Please, Great Harvard Law God of the Universe, bring this to an end!

I know that this is a double post but on a different topic and it just outraged me enough that I had to post it. French Federation president Didier Gailhaguet, who was banned from skating for three years after the Salt Lake City Olympics judging scandal, believes he should be given the chance to be the next ISU president because he “didn’t kill anyone.” He added that “even murders get a second chance”. Gailhaguet made that statement in an interview from the Winter Youth Olympics with the insidethegames.biz website. Gailhaguet also declared, “"I'm not a saint, not perfect, but I never went over the blue line.” The 62-year-old former figure skater said, “I didn't press a gun against any of the nine judges, I didn't pay money.” He also told the website that judging him based on the old scandal “is not fair to me at all”. "I have brought (the scandal) up with every member I have spoken to, and said 'okay, I am not perfect, I have made mistakes, but all this has changed me',” Gailhaguet stated. “Nobody, even my worst opponents, cannot say I do not have a true passion and authenticity about skating and all sport." Reuters is reporting that Gailhaguet has employed Mike Lee's British consultant firm, which last year helped Sebastian Coe to become president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), to organize his campaign for president of the ISU. Earlier this year, the German Federation accused the French Federation of requesting an “exorbitant amount” of Euros in order to release Pairs skater Bruno Massot so that he could compete with Aliona Savchenko for Germany. The issue was quickly resolved after the publicity about the demand and the negative backlash it caused on Gailhaguet’s bid for the ISU presidency. To say he should be ISU president simply because he didn’t kill anyone is a ludicrous. Gailhaguet should be banned from being ISU president just for making such a ridiculous statement.

For many US skaters, travelling 6500 miles to compete in a basically meaningless competition when they could be home preparing for Worlds has no attraction. Plus, it comes less than month after Nationals and doesn't give them much time to recuperate from that competition. Four Continents starts tomorrow (February 17). Since the competition is in Taiwan this year, the live-streaming on icenetwork will be mostly in the wee hours of the morning. However NBC Universal HD and NBC will be showing highlights from Four Continents. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a TV listing for the Men’s Free Skate as yet, so it appears this event will not be aired on TV. Here’s the broadcast schedule for Four Continents. All times listed are EASTERN. Be sure to check your local listings for the times and channels in your area. Event listings are subject to change: NBC UNIVERSAL Thursday, February 18, 3:00 - 4:00 pm: Ladies Short Friday, February 19, 1:30 - 2:30 pm: Free Dance Friday, February 19, 2:30 - 3:30 pm: Men’s Short Saturday, February 20, 6:30-7:30 pm: Pairs Free Skate NBC Saturday, February 20, 4:00 - 6:00 pm: Ladies Free Skate and highlights ICENETWORK LIVE STREAMING Wednesday, February 17, 11:45 pm: Short Dance Thursday, February 18, 3:40 am: Ladies Short Thursday, February 18, 7:30 am: Pairs Short Friday, February 19, 12:30 am: Free Dance Friday, February 19, 5:25 am: Men’s Short Saturday, February 20, 1:30 am: Pairs Free Skate Saturday, February 20, 5:15 am: Ladies Free Skate Saturday, February 20, 11:00 pm: Men’s Free Skate ETA: I’ve finally found the date and time of the broadcast for the Men’s Free Skate from Four Continents. The event will air on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) on Sunday, Feb. 21, from 12:00 midnight to 1 am EASTERN time. Not the best time slot or network for the event, but I guess it’s better than nothing.

I am now convinced that the people behind the last season of Burn Notice are also the people doing this season of Suits. All the fun is gone and we just get episode after episode of angst, betrayal, previous characters showing up only to be destroyed, and no resolution in sight. No doubt the last episode will end with Mike and Rachel sitting before a fire in a cabin in the wilderness somewhere.

The 2016 version of the skating show “Shall We Dance on Ice” will air on Saturday (Feb. 13) at 3:00-5:00 pm (Eastern Time) on ABC. The show will repeat on Saturday, Feb. 27 on ABC. As always, check your local listings for the time and channel in your area. The format is that dancers from “Dancing With the Stars” perform a style of dance (foxtrot, mamba, etc.) on the stage and then ice dancers do the figure skating version of the dance on the ice. Ice dancers in this year’s show are Davis and White, Belbin and Agosto, the Kerrs, Lang and Tchernyshev, Coomes and Buckland, Paul and Islam, Navarro and Bommentre and Tobias and Tkachenko. “Dancing With The Stars” will be represented by Dmitry Chaplin, Chelsie Hightower, Anna Trebunskaya and Damian Whitewood. The show will include a tribute to Torvill and Dean’s Bolero. Kristi Yamaguchi and Rumer Willis will host. For those of you who like ice dancing and/or “Dancing With the Stars”, this is a show you will want to see.

But he was also King James VI if you're a good Scot nationalist. Or maybe he was King James Carson?

I think it was the inclusion of Teddy Roosevelt in the clue that threw the contestants off. It seems to me that there was a big fuss recently over the National Park Service generally and Yosemite in particular and Roosevelt's connection to them. My mind went to Yosemite first before settling on the Grand Canyon because of that.

The skaters pay for a performance license for the music, the same kind of fee a club or bar pays (or is supposed to pay) for use of a song. They are licensed through groups like ASCAP or BMI. Occasionally a top level skater gets an orchestra or band to record a piece just for a skater, but that's usually more expensive than most skaters can afford. Trankov had shoulder surgery last year and the pair decided to sit out the whole season rather than rush his rehabilitation.

This episode was a nice mix of what can happen after a deal is made. The Tower and Wicked Good segments should how to expand the core product, the Squatty Potty segment showed how to market the product, and the steak button (can't remember the company name) segment showed that running a company may not always be the best choice for the inventor, but that there are other ways to make money. The segments are obviously staged reenactments ( I doubt Amazon would allow cameras in before a deal was made), but still interesting portrayals of what goes on in a business.

The USFSA announced today that Nathan Chen will miss both the Junior and Senior World Championships due to the hip injury he suffered during the exhibition program on Sunday in St. Paul. Chen suffered an avulsion injury, which is when a piece of bone tears away from the main part of the bone. Adolescent athletes are at higher risk for such injuries, according to doctors. Chen underwent hip surgery yesterday, and is expected to return to the ice with restrictions in about 8 to 10 weeks. Doctors expect him to make a full recovery. The USFSA has named Grant Hochstein, who finished 4th in Men, to replace Chen on the World Team for Boston, and Junior Men’s champion Tomoki Hiwatashi to replace Chen on the Junior World Team.

I have given up any hope that the law related parts of this show have any relationship to what happens in RL, but I cannot for the life of me figure out any scenario in which fraud by practicing without a state law license constitutes a federal crime. But I guess a federal prosecution is much more dramatic than an NY state one.

Icenetwork has posted an interesting article about changes some of the top U.S. Pairs are making to their programs for next week’s Nationals in St. Paul. Scimeca and Knierim have swapped out about 1 minute of the music from Elizabeth: The Golden Age in the middle of their program for slower music from the same soundtrack. They believe the slower music will help them set up for their triple toe jumps better as well as address the criticism from judges about the music not having a change of pace. Kayne and O’Shea have decided to scrap their short program to Spanish music. Their new music is Hozier’s Take Me to Church, a more soulful piece. Castelli and Tran are keeping the same music but are changing the order of their elements in their Free Skate. The throw double axel will now come early in the program, and the throw triple salchow will be in the second half. They are hoping that changing the order of the elements will help with the consistency of their jumps – triple salchows and triple loops. By the way, if anyone is curious why Jordan Moeller isn’t at Nationals this year, the reason is that the Men’s skater broke his leg in December; Moeller fell awkwardly while practicing a quad toe. Those quads are a tool of the devil!

Here in Ohio, office park is a pretty common term. Where are the people who don't know the term located?

Here are the broadcast times for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships next week. Icenetwork is going to live-stream every event from Nationals except for those which will be broadcast live on NBC, but I’m just going to provide the times for the Senior events. If you want to see the complete schedule for icenetwork’s live streaming of events from Nationals, go to: http://web.icenetwork.com/schedule/2016/01/2016_us_fs_champs NBC will do a live broadcast of the Free Skate competitions with the top groups in all disciplines on January 23 and 24, but unfortunately, neither NBC nor NBC Universal will be showing the short programs. Additionally, NBC will not air the Skating Spectacular until Saturday, January 30. NBC Universal will offer only encore presentations of the NBC broadcasts. In addition, NBC is going to do a preview show for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Sunday, January 17. Presumably, this show will be Tara and Johnny telling us about the skaters who are most likely to be on the podium in each discipline. Below is the broadcast schedule for Nationals, starting with NBC. I’ve also listed the “encore presentation” and Skating Spectacular broadcasts, for your information. Please remember that all times listed are EASTERN. Check your local listings for the times and channels in your area. NBC Sunday, January 17, 5-6 pm: U.S. Figure Skating Championships Preview Show Saturday, January 23, 3-6 pm: Pairs Free Skate and Free Dance (last groups) Saturday, January 23, 8-11 pm: Ladies Free Skate (Groups 2, 3 and 4) Sunday, January 24, 4-6 pm: Men’s Free Skate (Groups 3 and 4) Saturday, January 30, 4-6 pm: Smucker’s Skating Spectacular NBC UNIVERSAL Thursday, January 28, 3-9 pm: Encore Presentation of NBC Broadcast: Pairs and Ladies Free Skate, Free Dance Friday, January 29, 6-8 pm: Encore Presentation of NBC Broadcast: Men’s Free Skate Friday, February 5, 2-5 pm: Encore Presentation of NBC Broadcast: Skating Spectacular ICENETWORK LIVE STREAMING: Thursday, January 21, 3:45 pm: Senior Pairs Short Program Thursday, January 21, 9:00 pm: Senior Ladies Short Program Friday, January 22, 3:30 pm: Senior Short Dance Friday, January 22, 8:30 pm: Senior Men’s Short Program Saturday, January 23, 10:00 am: Senior Pairs Free Skate (Groups 1 and 2) Saturday, January 23, 11:45 am: Senior Free Dance (Group 1) Saturday, January 23, 7:00 pm: Senior Ladies Free Skate (Group 1) Sunday, January 24, 2:00 pm: Senior Men’s Free Skate (Groups 1 and 2) Set your DVRs or make your plans to settle down for some hours of watching skating. The competition at Nationals this year should be very interesting.

Let's not forget the song about democracy. It cracked me up the way different groups kept getting added to those who don't have the vote (what does this show have against red-heads?), ending up with the vote only going to "people that look like me." Too funny and, unfortunately, too true.

Reigning U.S. Men’s champion Jason Brown has withdrawn from 2016 Nationals due to injury. Brown, who has been dealing with a back injury, said there wasn't one moment when he hurt his back, but the injury had been feeling progressively worse during the season. He pulled out of NHK Trophy in late November, hoping to recover in time for the U.S. championships.But the injury flared up again recently in training and that has forced him to withdraw from the championships in St. Paul. Brown could still petition for a spot on the Worlds Team, but he doesn't know yet whether he'd be healthy enough to do so. Skaters are dropping like flies from Nationals