January 21, 2015

Listen Up, icenetwork



I follow a Washington D.C. radio sport's show on podcast and lately the host has been toying with the idea of a new TV show featuring two sport's pundits talking about an NFL game, while it's on.  Think "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and ESPN Classic's "Cheap Seats" getting together on Sunday afternoon to watch a football game from somebody's couch - that's what this show would be.

Cheap Seats, btw, a personal favorite of Ice Charades!  You should check out their "Spelling Bee" episode. 

So I got to thinking ... I think figure skating needs the "Mystery Science Theater" treatment.

Do you think it could work?

Imagine putting two veteran A-list skaters together to talk about World's or the Olympics during the short or long programs.  There's lots of dead time they could talk over with charming anecdotes of their own nervousness or costume malfunctions or what was going through their heads when they were really bombing their programs.  Don't think there's any dead time in live coverage of figure skating?  How about all the time waiting for the judges' scores in the Kiss-N-Cry or the two-minute glide around the ice that skaters take nowadays between their name being called and the starting position of their program and let's not forget skating's ultimate dead time ... the zamboni!

So we find the former champions sitting in one of their livings room ready to dish on the newest crop of competitors.  Who's game?

Wouldn't you pay to see the Brians chatting about Patrick Chan's quads and whether he's holding back during the short only to bring it later on.  (Wait a minute, Orser's coaching some of these skaters so he's already sitting in the Kiss-N-Cry.)

So, how about Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Kwan giving us their thoughts on Yuna/Mao rivalry?

Excuse me, Ice Charades, but that's so 2010, can you get more with it please?

Okay, okay.  I think if you could pay the skaters to be candid enough, we'd have something people would want to see.  (Wait a minute, I guess we have The Skating Lesson for candid commentary.  And very insightful too.)

But I still think people want to see their old idols rehashing the glory days.  I do.  What about the king of skating commentary ... and I bet he's available.  Wouldn't you pay money to be a fly on the wall at Dick Button's house when World's or the Olympics were on?

What do you think?  Who would you pay to see "hosting" Nationals right now?

2 comments:

Jane said...

I already like Johnny and Tara, but I would love to see Katarina Witt and Michelle Kwan together.

Yeah, Dick would be a riot to hear if he didn't think anyone was listening.

Anonymous said...

There's no way there are any A-list skaters sitting around in the living rooms watching the Olympics on TV. They are either working for as a broadcaster or hanging out backstage with their other A-list skaters like it was Homecoming at high school.