I have a collection of books and movies on figure skating. Some are better than others, so if you want the scoop, read on:
My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva and E.M. Swift. This is the best book of all my figure skating ones. Even if you're not a huge figure skating buff you should read this. Be forwarned it is horribly sad, even when you know how it ends and you are prepared for it.
My Sergei: A Love Story (The Video) A great flick if you love watching G&G skate, which I do. Has some of their best routines, including both of their Olympic performances, The Man I Love, the Rodin Number (Vocalise), and some great early footage. Some of the video is awkward because it is a re-enactment and then other parts are actual footage so you really have to concentrate on what's real and what's acting. Buy it just to see the G&G routines.
Landing It: My Life on and off the Ice: by Scott Hamilton with Lorenzo Benet. Good book with lots of juicy tidbits about figure skating gossip. Takes a while to read, because it is more than just a fluff picture book like so many other skating books.
Stars on Ice: By Barry Wilner. A great picture book of my favorite skating tour. Lots of "early days" info.
Skate Talk: Few pictures but a lot of good interviews. Some of the interviews are from people you don't hear much of so it's kind of nice to hear their opinions. Everything from the Battle of the Brians to the Bechke-Petrov divorce.
Skate: 100 Years of Figure Skating: by Steve Milton.This is okay, although some of the skaters in it are no longer skating becaues it focuses more on skaters of the past instead of skaters of the present. Good stats in the back of the book.
Boitano's Edge: by Brian Boitano with Suzanne Harper. Another great book of photos and a lot of talk on technique, goals, etc. I loved it of course because I LOVE Brian Boitano and he's my favorite skater. I also saw a good special on T.V. where he walked you through his house in San Francisco. I think it was Access Hollywood or Inside Edition or one of those shows. Anyway, read the book.
The Passion to Skate: by Sandra Bezic with David Hayes. Sandra Bezic is the producer of Stars on Ice and was choreographer to Brian Boitano and lots of other skaters. Lots of pictures of famous skaters currently and in the early days. Great tribute to Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov.
Nutcracker on Ice: (video) With Oksana Bauol and Victor Petrenko. Watch this at Christmas. I loved the costumes and the music, but it was a little slow in places. The dance of the sugar plum fairy seemed to go on forever and a day, even though I like Rory Black Burkhart. Also, as an added bonus, Victor Petrenko's younger brother Vladimir is in the video, as the handsome prince (appropriately!) looking darn good in his tight pants. Why don't we see him in more shows?
Katerina Witt & Friends (video)
Brian Boitano & Friends (video)
One review because I can say basically the same thing about both videos. Good vintage skating from some of the professionals of today when they were amateurs in the 80's. Most libraries have this in their video section. Check it out instead of buying it, because it's not something you watch over and over.
Stars on Ice, Volume I: There were several great performances on this, so let me just outline what they did and who was on the video, etc:
Scott Hamilton: Performing two routines, the first and last on the video. The first was Steppin' Out With my Baby, and it was fantastic (of course) and the last to I Love Me, his interpretation of a Lounge Lizard. Both cute and both I've seen before. He also narrates this.
Kristi Yamaguchi: Madame Butterfly and Doop. I like Doop better, except for the costume.
Torville & Dean: Cute costumes. I never followed ice dancing until Bourne & Kraatz, and that was after Torville & Dean's competitive years.
Paul Wylie: Skating to JFK his first year on the tour. He's so adorable, I loved to watch him skate, and he was the best spinner ever in men's figure skating. I wish he hadn't retired.
Katerina Witt: Performing to Man of LaMancha. I like most of her routines but I''ve never liked this one.. I don't know why.
Kurt Browning: Performing to the song by the Tragically Hip. I love this routine. Kurt Browning is just so darn cool. How does he do it? I've seen this both on T.V. and live on tour.
Bechke & Petrov. Not sure which routine this is, but as always they looked very good. When have they ever looked bad skating?
Gordeeva & Grinkov. Performing Reverie. Reverie, Moonlight Sonata, and Man I Love were all on My Sergei, the video. Celebration of a Life Broadcast had Crazy for You and Vocalise. I was hoping, but disappointed that this did not contain Out of Tears, because I can't seem to find it on video anywhere. I love this routine, too, but have to admit that these baby blue costumes were not my favorite.
Ekaterina Gordeeva: Three Preludes. I saw this live. Really cute.
Rosalyn Sumners: Beautiful Goodbye. I liked this because it and the Bechke Petrov number are the only two I had not seen before. Rosalyn was so great to watch perform live, because she had really great eye contact with the audience.
Brian Orser: The Story of My Life. One of the best routines ever in figure skating. I've seen him perform this live and I could watch it a thousand times. I always associate him with this routine.
You can buy the video and all sorts of skating goodies by going to Stars On Ice homepage and shopping for merchandise
