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Third time's the charm, LOL...

Well, according to posters on the Channel One Ice Age board, Alexei is going to be paired with actress Valeria Lanskaya instead of Tatiana Arntgolts, and Tatiana will be paired with Maxim Staviski. And it looks like Katia Gordeeva is doing the show after all since she is practicing with her celebrity partner. Not all pairs are accounted for yet, but most of them are.

Laurie (who liked what she saw of Tatiana, but will now have to check out Valeria, LOL)

So far, the following skaters seem to be confirmed as participating this season:

Alexei Yagudin, Tatiana Navka, Roman Kostomarov, Alexei Tikhonov, Maria Petrova, Tatiana Totmianina, Maxim Marinin, Albena Denkova, Andrei Khvalko (Elena Leonova is pregnant and won't be participating), Povilas Vanagas, Margarita Drobiazko, Anna Semenovich, and Irina Lobacheva.

New additions: Katia Gordeeva, Alexander Abt, and Maxim Staviski.

From what I'm reading in the tabloids, it looks like Elena Berezhnaya might be appearing on the competing "Dances on Ice" show.

Laurie

Here's the description of the show from the Channel One TV listing:

>>
In this year the dare-devils who will come out on the ice will prove to be noticeably more. The main intrigue of the show - the names of the participants and hosts of "Ice Age." Until now they are held in the strictest secret, indeed among them are names which will make it necessary to cling to the screens even inveterate skeptics! The most popular actors, singers, television hosts, and athletes will arise on skates in the show "Ice Age."


Participants are already crowded with bruises and rubbed corns. They understood that the ice is hot (?), indeed after each training their clothing is wet right through. Facing fear, they fall on the ice, and day outside day they perfect the most complex moves in order that on September 6 they will meet face to face with their rivals and show everything they learned!


The composition of the professional figure skaters - no less stars. New names will appear among them: Ekaterina Gordeeva, Alexander Abt, Maxim Stavinskiy… of course, to the ice again will come out Aleksey Yagudin, Tatiana Navka, Irina Lobacheva, Maxim Marinin, Tatiana Totmyanina, Maria Petrova, Anna Semenovich.


In the project as before, two coaches - Ilya Averbukh and Alexander Zhulin. They again compete between themselves with skill in short time to devise bright, adapted to stage numbers and dances improbable with beauty. The permanent chairman of judges will be Tatiana Tarasova.


In this year "Ice Age" will be fantastically bright! Indeed in the project - new area, which will make it possible to carry out the most daring ideas. No repetitions, only new ideas and unexpected surprises!
>>

Laurie

Kind of. It's a weekly reality TV show where they match skaters to celebrities in pairs, they each perform a new program every week, and the programs are judged by a panel of judges. They usually have one or two figure skating experienced judges, and then the rest of the panel rotates with celebrity guest judges. The two lowest scoring pairs then have to submit to an audience popularity vote, with viewers voting for their favorite pair of the two and the other pair is eliminated. I don't think any pairs will be eliminated in the first few shows. At the end of the TV competition, which usually goes on through the end of December, they then start a tour with most of the skaters and some of the celebrities. The tour lasts for about four months, starting in earnest in January, but they usually have a few tour dates in the fall first.

Laurie

Some answers, LOL. Looks like Tatiana Arntgolts is now definitely paired with Maxim Staviski, and Valeria Lanskaya has been seen on practice ice and says she is participating in the show (what's weird is she supposedly denied it when asked about it earlier after the first reports that she was going to be on the show and paired with Alexei, LOL - ah, the intrigue! ). There are supposed to be twenty pairs to start with this season so apparently we still have more surprises ahead...

I posted an article about Valeria Lanksaya in June that said she was appearing with Alexei in "My Hot Ice" so he probably knows her from the series already.

Laurie

Very long interview with Valeria Lanskaya:

http://www.mnews.kz/index.php?id=108&newsid=406

Her mother is currently Ilya Averbukh's choreography assistant on "Ice Age," and formerly her parents were champion ballroom dancers - her father currently lives in the U.S. and teaches ballroom dance here. Valeria herself has a history of figure skating and gymnastics, as well as acting and music - (she sings and played a singer on skates on the Drobiazko & Vanagas tour). She currently plays Alexei Tikhonov's partner on "My Hot Ice." In figure skating, she was a singles skater, then switched to ice dance, then her partner quit sports and she turned to acting. Starring in "The Circus Princess" she uses a lot of her gymnastics and acrobatic skills, and is the role which brought her to the attention of the "Ice Age" producers. She does still plan to participate in "The Count of Monte Cristo" musical. Busy girl, LOL.

I'm excited about her figure skating and gymnastics background - that should make her a potentially good partner as far as flexibility and stability on the ice, plus the acting experience should make her expressive and able to tell a story and play a character, which, as we've seen, is almost more important than what they can do on skates. She seems a bit of a ringer, though...

Laurie

Taping was today - I'll post more later - have to go back to work, LOL...

Alexei and Valeria performed to "Bremen Town Musicians" - something like that.

Laurie

Little bit more on Alexei and Valeria's program - I guess the group is Bremen Town Musicians - the song is "We Came To You At The Hour" - with guitars as props and the hair and costumes are supposed to be comical.

Katia Gordeeva and her partner performed a tango to "Scent of A Woman."

And it looks like Marat Basharov will be hosting with Anastasia Zavorotnyuk (what happened to Irina?! sniff). Irina Lobacheva's partner has a broken ankle or similar injury - they will be performing as soon as he recuperates. They apparently are also doing a number with skaters/celebrities from last year's show, too.

Laurie